Matt Toomua: Not just there to make up the numbers
Matt Toomua already had his summer holiday planned, when the phone call he was finally waiting for came through from London.
Toomua, who has been enjoying a spell playing for Western Povince in the Currie Cup, was called a week ago to replace the injured Berrick Barnes in Australia's squad for the Grand Slam tour, and was eventually rushed into the matchday squad for the clash with Gloucester on Tuesday.
He never made it onto the pitch - Australia were struggling to break free and Toomua had had only one session to learn the ropes - but now he is in, he is determined to make up the weeks of preparation he has missed.
"It didn't look like it was going to happen so I started organising things for holidays with my family and then got a text the next day saying I was off to London," the teenager said to AAP about his call-up.
"As you can imagine, it was quite a whirlwind and quite different. I was very excited when I first got the call, then disappointed when it didn't work out and then, funnily enough, it did work out."
"I see this as a learning experience - definitely developmental - but, in saying that, I'm not here just to carry bags or anything like that
"I want to give it a go and give it all I've got. Yeah, just have no regrets by the end of the tour knowing that I did give it everything."
He'll have to give it that if he wants to get up to speed. He is most likely to play in the midweek match against Cardiff on Tuesday week, by which time he will need to know the full range of Robbie Deans' calls and tactics.
"A lot of it was very new," he said.
"I've been doing a lot of homework in the last 24 hours but it's a lot different being out on the field and actually seeing it and I'll have to learn it a bit quicker so it gives me a better training session.
"Being at the elite level, in terms of being professional off the field and on the field, it's really about watching guys like Matt Giteau in my position - how they operate and what I can get from their game and add to my game and create my own type of blend.
"It's about seeing what I like and what I can start developing into the player I want to be."
Not surprisingly, given his hectic schedule, Toomua didn't even have time in Australia to try his Wallabies kit on for size.
"I had to jump on the plane," he said.
"It was kind of funny last night when I actually opened my bag that I got given in Australia. It was surreal being there and seeing the Wallaby emblem.
"There was myself and (fellow recruit Wallabies call-up) Tyrone (Smith) and we both sort of commented on how it was pretty cool.
"But we're not there yet and there's a long way to go. But it is encouraging to know that we are actually thought about."
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