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What the Wallabies have to get right against Fiji

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yesterday

The British and Irish Lions are predictably doing a “Bazball” against the Australian Super Rugby teams, running up big scores with an open style of play that was signposted by their selections.

Whether that means the Wallabies should be fearful is open to debate, as it more likely just restates the obvious: club or provincial rugby is the distant cousin of Test rugby in the modern era.

The Wallabies will get the chance to make their statement on Sunday, and after the first three Lions performances, it is pretty clear what they need to do well.

Here are the key areas to look out for against Fiji.

This trio are without a shadow of doubt the most interesting part of the Wallabies attack, and the hopes of the home side against the Lions will depend on how quickly they get on the same wavelength. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii could also be used as a midfield crashball merchant, but that’s not really what the Wallabies started to embed on the end-of-season tour.

Where Joe Schmidt really wants to get Suaalii is in a bit of space as the second ball carrier, with Tom Wright coming up into the frontline off No.10 Noah Lolesio to create a bit of defensive panic before looking for Suaalii on his shoulder. The Wallabies are happy to run this play from deep as well, and one of the attributes that Suaalii showed during Super Rugby Pacific was the ability to maintain top-end pace over distance due to his long stride. There are obvious ways to use Suaalii – restarts and........

© The Age