Bell backs injured Suaalii to return to Wallabies colours in no time

Bell backs injured Suaalii to return to Wallabies colours in no time SYDNEY, Aug 12 : Wallabies prop Angus Bell has backed Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to be playing again sooner rather than later after the centre suffered another injury setback against Japan last weekend. Suaalii will miss this weekend's return match against Japan in Townsville after picking up a minor hamstring strain in last Saturday's 35-32 win in Osaka. The 23-year-old has been bedevilled by injuries since making a big-money switch from rugby league in late 2024, and Bell said it was certainly nothing to do with the way he looked after himself. "There's one thing that I've never questioned Su on, it's his preparation," Bell told reporters from Queensland on Wednesday. "He's probably one of the most professional blokes I've ever met. "It's honestly just probably a bit of maturing in the body. I went through the exact same thing, I went through two and a half to three years where I wasn't playing any rugby for the Waratahs, which was tough. "But it's only a really minor injury, he'll be back sooner rather than later so we look forward to having him back." Josh Flook was called into the squad as cover and inside centre Hunter Paisami said the team had a "next up" approach to losing players as they looked towards the second test. "Whoever's in that 12 and 13 jersey, we just know that they will do a job for the boys and for the jersey," he said. Paisami's Queensland Reds teammate Carter Gordon is also tipped to return at flyhalf on Saturday after recovering from a calf injury. Declan Meredith endured a tricky night in the number 10 shirt in Osaka so Gordon looks likely to be up against Ben Donaldson in the race for the starting playmaker role. "I think he's just a natural 10," Paisami said of Gordon. "They all are natural 10s, but I feel like they're just very similar. Obviously, Carter's defensive side. He's a big body and he puts his body on the line. They all read the game pretty well. If Carter is in it's a huge plus." New coach Les Kiss will name his team on Thursday.