Former England international Chris Ashton has eviscerated Wallabies back Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Rugby Australia's continued signing of rugby league converts following Australia's 45-22 capitulation to England at Twickenham on Monday morning (AEDT).
In his 28th Test, Suaalii was found wanting once more after he went absent for much of the match, making just one linebreak and conceding two turnovers in a night to forget for the Wallabies. Pushed to the wing with the return of Len Ikitau from injury and with Isaac Henry at 13, it was the third positional change in as many Tests for the 23-year-old.
The underwhelming performance for the cross-code star led to an astonishing spray from former England wing and rugby league convert Ashton stating Suaalii "doesn't look like an international rugby union player".
"We keep trying to find positives for Australia and they're moving in the right direction, [but] I ain't seen it. They keep signing rugby league players," Ashton told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast after the game.
"This Suaalii gamble -- just think how much he gets paid -- he doesn't look like an international rugby union player to me.
"If he was English, he wouldn't be playing for England, he just wouldn't be there. But yeah, he's here. He's running around every week for Australia. And they've got two or three more coming, rugby league lads that they want to get for the World Cup.
"I have no idea where Australia are heading and what direction they're going in, and they've got a World Cup coming up in less than a year."
It has been reported Suaalii is earning an estimated $1.6 million to $1.8 million for the 2026 season with the star back failing to score a point for the Wallabies this year as coach Les Kiss continues to ponder the 23-year-old's best position.
Making his international debut at inside centre against England in 2024, Suaalii starred in the comeback 42-37 victory, earning high praise from both nations as he tore through the defence and used his aerial capabilities superbly. He finished the game as player of the match, but according to Ashton, Suaalii hasn't "played like that since" while BBC's Chris Jones was also critical of the former rugby league star.
"You said during the game in commentary you've watched him for five minutes and he does not know what he's doing now. He's a phenomenal athlete and his debut senior game of rugby and he got man of the match," Jones said.
"It's his best game," Ashton said. "And he's not played like that since. Maybe that's because that was his first game. He's like, you know what, I'm just going to give it everything. I've been signed, big contract.
"When I'm watching him, I'm watching him ruck. He looks like me when I didn't have a clue. He doesn't know how to ruck. He doesn't know where to hit the ruck.
"They're in all sorts and they're trying to force him into this team, and they've signed more rugby league lads."
Coincidentally, reflecting recently on that man-of-the-match performance from 2024, Suaalii told the Hello Sport podcast that he did not hit "one ruck" in the famous Twickenham.
Meanwhile, RA has signed rugby league star Angus Crichton on a two-year deal at the start of 2026 with the 29-year-old to join the NSW Waratahs in 2027 in a bid to bolster Australia's centre stocks ahead of the home Rugby World Cup. He joined Wallabies camp in England as a visitor last week ahead of Monday's Test, while fellow code-hopper Zac Lomax had some good moment for Australia A in the USA after signing with the Western Force earlier this year.
Former Wallabies winger and now NRL star Mark Nawaqanitawase has also returned to the 15-man code via Japan's League One competition following a highly successful two-year stint with the Sydney Roosters where he won the 2026 NRL premiership. Despite talk he could line up for Fiji or Italy, Nawaqanitawase could also be added to the Wallabies mix midway through 2027.
On the field, the Wallabies' woes have been confounded by the loss of centre Henry for the remainder of the Nations Championship, with Kiss yet to call upon any reinforcements. This could see Suaalii pushed back into midfield, although Filipo Daugunu looms as another option after a couple of impressive cameos off the bench.
In better news, it's expected Carter Gordon will be fit to return against Scotland after Kiss said he was "so close [to returning] it wasn't funny" ahead of the England Test.