Suaalii declared fit as Wallabies gear up for Ireland Test

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has recovered from an arm injury scare to retain his place in Australia's starting lineup for Sunday’s clash against world No.2 Ireland.

Suaalii’s inclusion comes after he was forced off early in the Wallabies' 27-13 loss to Scotland last weekend.

The dual-code star, who has made waves since his high-profile switch from the NRL, appeared to suffer a serious arm injury but was later cleared. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt confirmed the decision to pull him from the Scotland game was precautionary.

"Joe's fine. He got one of those stingers, and we felt it was better to get it properly assessed," Schmidt explained. "We couldn’t hold the game up to do that, so we took him out, but he’s fully fit and ready to go."

NSW flyhalf Tane Edmed is set to debut from the bench, becoming the 19th Wallabies debutant this year. Meanwhile, Harry Potter, who scored on debut against Scotland, moves to the reserves as Max Jorgensen returns to the starting lineup.

Schmidt also welcomed back key players Fraser McReight, Taniela Tupou, Nick Frost, and Jeremy Williams, all of whom missed the Scotland game.

Ireland, fresh from victories over Argentina and Fiji, have handed a second consecutive start to 21-year-old flyhalf Sam Prendergast. Prendergast retains the No.10 jersey, edging out Jack Crowley.

Veteran prop Cian Healy is also set to make history, earning a record-breaking 134th cap.

As the Wallabies wrap up their European tour, Schmidt emphasized the importance of balancing immediate competitiveness with long-term preparations.

"We’ve been testing combinations and building depth with an eye on the British and Irish Lions series next year," he said.

Australia XV: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper

Reserves: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Harry Potter