‘He’s a warrior’: Ikitau pledges defensive fix as he reunites with Suaalii

Detailed summary

Len Ikitau is set to saddle up again with his old midfield partner Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii against Scotland, and it could get spicy.

Wallabies centre Len Ikitau conceded the merry-go-round of midfield combinations has made life tricky this year but backed “warrior” Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to shut out his critics and thrive in another spicy showdown with a Scottish rival at Murrayfield.

Suaalii is set to return to outside centre for the Wallabies against Scotland on Monday (AEDT), reuniting with Ikitau in the midfield after Isaac Henry’s tour-ending hamstring injury. The change is expected to be one of only a small handful, with also Carter Gordon expected to come into the side at No.10 and bullocking backrower Rob Valetini also returning to the run-on team.

Ikitau and Suaalii was a settled combination throughout the Joe Schmidt years but this year the Wallabies stable of centres – also including Henry and Hunter Paisami – have chopped and changed repeatedly. In 11 Tests in 2026, the Wallabies midfield has changed seven times, and used six unique combinations.

Some of the change has been forced due to injury and suspension, but it has also been a tactical choice at times, with coach Les Kiss deploying Suaalii at wing in recent Tests. Paisami withdrew late from the spring tour due to personal reasons.

All that rotation has come at a cost, however, with frayed defensive connections, and stilted attacking flow as well.

“It is pretty tough being able to stick with the same centre pairing, and being able to play consistently with the same people has been tough for us lately,” Ikitau said. “But I feel like we’ve got a lot of good centres. You know, it’s unfortunate for ‘Zack’ who’s not playing for the rest of the tour, but we’ve got Filipo [Daugunu] who was outstanding when he came on, brought a lot of energy.

“And then Joseph can come back to the centres. We’ve got a good relationship there in the centres, so if he needs to come back in, then we’ll just go with that.”

Kiss will name his side on Saturday morning (AEDT). Returning to the reliable defensive duo of Ikitau and Suaalii – as opposed to more attacking…

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