Ex-Rugby Australia boss reveals Angus Crichton deal and tips Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to captain the Wallabies

Former Rugby Australia boss Hamish McLennan has revealed how close he came to signing NRL star Angus Crichton – and he backs Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to captain the Wallabies someday.

Joseph Suaalii made a stunning debut for the Wallabies last week after signing a controversial megabucks contract to leave the NRL and defect to the struggling code in 2023.

McLennan – who was removed as RA chairman on November 19 last year – has now revealed that the Roosters young gun’s teammate Angus Crichton almost made the code switch too.

‘Angus Crichton is another one we should have had,’ McLennan told News Corp.

‘The Crichtons are family friends and when he was going through his tough times at the Roosters, I was contacted.

‘Angus absolutely would have come back, but there were concerns he was damaged goods at RA.

Crichton has been playing outstanding footy throughout 2024

‘He started in rugby, he was an Australian Schoolboy and I believe we would have got him for a good price, but rugby stuffed the deal and credit to Angus for turning his life around at the Roosters.’

McLennan says Suaalii, who has only played one game for the Wallabies, could captain the team. 

‘I think Joseph could easily be a Wallabies captain,’ he said.

‘He is such a good role model for young kids.

‘If you are a kid who is deciding between rugby union or rugby league, there will be a ton of kids saying I want to be like Joseph Suaalii and that was always the plan to get him back to rugby.

‘I have no doubt he won’t be a one-hit wonder. He will keep playing well. I know he will.

‘You can’t underestimate what he did last weekend. The last game of rugby he played was in year 11 at high school, and he went straight into a Test match before 80,000 fans at Twickenham, which we weren’t meant to win, and he changed the team.

‘Don’t forget, we came stone, bone-arsed last in the Rugby Championship and the only thing that has changed in that team is Joseph Suaalii.

McLennan says rugby would have got Crichton at a good price

 ‘He has this magic about him, he has electrified the team and lifted them.

‘He is worth tens of millions now but he will keep kids in our pathways playing rugby union.

‘Joseph is a superstar. He will become the face of Australian rugby and he will get the team winning, which will increase the value of every commercial asset, including the media rights.

‘And to think Phil Waugh (RA CEO) and Daniel Herbert (chairman) wanted to hand him back to the Roosters.’

Last week McLennan made the bombshell claim that he was contacted by a third party who assured him that Nathan Cleary was interested in switching codes.

‘Earlier this year, I got told Cleary and a few other top NRL players were keen to come to rugby via a third party,’ McLennan told News Corp.

‘It wasn’t directed at me, but I believe it was all real.

‘Perhaps they [Cleary and the other NRL players] were wanting to test the waters with a few people, but by then I had left Rugby Australia.

‘I left it alone as I felt it had nothing to do with me.’