Asked if rugby was prepared to bring forward Suaalii’s switch, McLennan said: “I would take him in a heartbeat.”

McLennan also said he had been contacted by the agent of another “major NRL player” since the Suaalii signing, inquiring about a potential switch. The Rugby Australia chairman declined to reveal the name.

“The genie is out of the bottle,” McLennan said. “He wants the international exposure, the big stadiums and the international events.

“At rugby we are more pro-player. Longer careers, greater life experience, more focused on player welfare and more fun.”

Questions have been raised about the impact of Suaalii’s big-money signing on players already in Australia’s Super Rugby sides, regarding the size of the reported $1.6 million-per-season pay cheque and opportunities for selection.

But Waratahs and Australia A winger Dylan Pietsch, who recently re-signed to the end of 2025 and could be the man left out in a potential back three of Suaalii, Max Jorgensen and Mark Nawaqanitawase, said he had no problems with it.

“There is no fear. He is such a good player and such a good kid. He went to King’s [School] so I know him relatively well and it is good that rugby will have him back,” Pietsch said.

“He is a really talented athlete and to have him in the back three, if that means I am in or out, I don’t really mind because he is such a good athlete and if he is going to win the Tahs games, then beautiful.

“Everyone has their opinion. I don’t mind, to be honest. You have to throw him a bit of money to get him over here – it is a fair bit of money, too – but it doesn’t really faze me as an outside back.”

Loading

With just one win from five games, the Waratahs are major outsiders to beat the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday night but Pietsch said underdog status was a comfortable – and welcome – setting. The Tahs fell to the Chiefs at home last week but took confidence from the performance.

“You could definitely see at the weekend how well we defended. That was something we missed in the first couple of games, how well we defended as a team,” Pietsch said.

“We scrapped along. The other games we probably weren’t scrapping as much as we should. Hopefully the boys will flick the switch and that’s what we have for the rest of the season.

“That’s our DNA, all last year that’s what we did. We built our wins on and built our teams on, was scrapping for the ball and being underdogs. We get that again this week and that’s really cool for us to be there again.”

Watch all the action from the Super Rugby Pacific with every match streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.