With the British and Irish Lions series on the horizon, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has impressed in his first professional rugby match on Australian soil. Meanwhile, several Wallabies hopefuls have enjoyed a solid start to the 2025 season. From a Wallabies perspective, here are some of the talking points from round one of Super Rugby Pacific. Suaalii shows promise for Waratahs It took less than 2 minutes for Suaalii to make an impact for the Waratahs in their 37-36 victory over the Highlanders at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night. After the Waratahs launched a box kick from a maul inside their territory, the dual international rushed through to win back the ball from an aerial contest. His most effective play came midway through the second half, when he broke the Highlanders' defensive line just inside the attacking 22 to help set up Max Jorgensen's try in the following phase. Following his first professional rugby match at fullback, the 21-year-old admitted his positional play needed improvement, although there was enough in his performance to give Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt food for thought. Schmidt employed Suaalii at outside centre in his three starts on the Wallabies' spring tour last year, with Tom Wright wearing the number 15 jersey. Wright produced his best Test season in 2024 but should the Waratahs continue to play Suaalii at fullback, it may present Schmidt with a selection dilemma for the Lions series, which kicks off in July. Is Suaalii best used in the Wallabies' midfield or at the back? It's a question Schmidt no doubt welcomes, but not one requiring an answer in February. Suaalii crucial to rugby regaining visibility Suaalii is a vital cog in Rugby Australia's (RA) marketing strategy as it builds towards the three Tests against the Lions. The promotion ahead of Suaalii's Waratahs debut was sound and would have left no-one uncertain he was making his Super Rugby Pacific arrival, although Friday night's crowd of 16,034 could be described as modest at best. There will be naysayers champing at the bit to dismiss former RA chair Hamish McLennan's prediction Suaalii will "put bums on seats", but the prize recruit's impact will be felt in the longer term and beyond crowd attendances. Rugby will never overtake the NRL in terms of domestic popularity and its governing bodies have much ground to make up if the code is to recapture the lofty position it enjoyed on the Australian sporting landscape more than two decades ago. Suaalii will help rugby attract new fans, as well as entice those who had abandoned the game to return to the fold. Openside depth building for Wallabies Domestic seasons can be treacherous on the injury front, as the Wallabies found out when the Lions last toured these shores in 2013. David Pocock, one of Australia's greatest openside flankers, ruptured an ACL playing for the Brumbies in Super Rugby and was ruled out of the Lions series, which the tourists ultimately won 2-1. Twelve years on, Schmidt and his coaching staff would be forgiven if they had already contemplated a similar injury scenario involving Fraser McReight, who is among the best openside flankers in world rugby. If the Wallabies' worst fears were realised and McReight was sidelined, a fit Liam Wright would be an obvious choice to wear the Wallabies' number seven jersey. But Luke Reimer and Carlo Tizzano — who were among 19 players given their first Test cap in 2024 — have shown signs they can also be considered legitimate options as injury cover. Reimer was immense for the Brumbies in their come-from-behind 36-32 win over Fijian Drua in Suva on Saturday, scoring two late tries to seal the result. However, it was his defensive work at the breakdown that was most impressive, highlighted by three penalties he earned for the Brumbies in the second half when they trailed the Drua. Reimer forced the Drua to infringe when they held onto the ball each time. Tizzano's involvement in the Western Force's scrappy — but entertaining — 45-44 win over Moana Pasifika in Perth on Saturday was largely marked by his two tries scored off driving mauls. His debut Test season in 2024 was a baptism of fire, however he's previously shown for the Force and Waratahs he possesses a high work rate and aggressive style of play suited for international rugby. Wallabies well-stocked at scrum half Scrum half is a position in which the Wallabies have more than one Test-hardened option at their disposal. In 2024, Jake Gordon was the preferred scrum half in nine of the Wallabies' 13 Tests, with Nic White (three) and Tate McDermott (one) also given starting opportunities. McDermott — who will run out with the Reds in their season debut against Moana Pasifika on Friday night — came on as a reserve in 11 Tests last year, including eight when Gordon started. While Gordon performed admirably, his form wouldn't suggest he's a lock to be the first-choice scrum half against the Lions. However, he barely put a foot wrong as the Waratahs skipper in their season opener, having stuck to coach Dan McKellar's game plan by peppering the visitors with box kicks throughout the evening. White and his Force teammates didn't hinder or enhance their selection hopes, given the topsy-turvy nature of their last-gasp win over Moana Pasifika. The 34-year-old, though, showed the benefit of his experience when he superbly piloted a multi-phase movement — beginning 60 metres out from Moana Pasifika's goal line — that resulted in Mac Grealy's first-half try. Whether the uncapped Ryan Lonergan is on Schmidt's radar remains to be unseen, but the Brumbies' nine was solid against the Drua in difficult conditions. He was crisp with his passing from the scrum and ruck bases, and proved a pest at defensive breakdowns, while his try down the blindside from a Brumbies' line-out win showed initiative. Who will be the next Wallabies coach? As the Lions series approaches, an intriguing subplot surrounds who will succeed Schmidt as Wallabies coach when he steps down at the end of The Rugby Championship in October. It would be easy to reach the conclusion this Super Rugby Pacific season will pit the Australian franchise coaches — McKellar, Stephen Larkham, Les Kiss and Simon Cron — against each other, with the Wallabies job at stake. What can't be ignored is they don't have the runs on the board to demand the role, as ex-Wallabies coach John Connolly highlighted when speaking to News Corp last week. "Of the four Australian Super Rugby coaches, none of them have stand-out resumes,'' Connolly said. "That's the problem. When I look overseas, I see some good options." RA is no doubt considering candidates from across the Tasman and it is little surprise Blues coach Vern Cotter has been mentioned in media circles as a potential replacement for his fellow New Zealander Schmidt. Cotter guided the Blues to the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific title and has previously coached Scotland and Fiji, with his no-nonsense style and emphasis on dominating the collision in matches appearing to make him an ideal fit for the Wallabies. If Cotter is in RA's crosshairs, however, his re-signing with the Blues until the end of the 2026 season may be a spanner in the works.