Damaging contact and powerful leg-drive. Those are the two things Wallabies coach Michael Cheika told Sam Carter to improve if he wanted to revive his Test career.
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But the ACT Brumbies skipper says taking the captaincy reins for the first time has added another weapon to his game: consistency.
Carter will play just his third Test in almost three years when Australia clashes against Fiji in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.
It will cap a whirlwind week after securing a Super Rugby finals berth last weekend and then meeting Argentina soccer superstar Lionel Messi before being name din the Wallabies starting XV.
The hard-working lock has been chasing a Wallabies recall after being left on the outer since before the World Cup in 2015.
Cheika has given him a chance in the opening match of the mid-year series and Carter has vowed to take his opportunity after a second-row shake up.
Carter, 27, 11 of his 13 Tests in six months at the end of November before his Wallabies rise stalled when Cheika stepped in as coach.
Since then Carter has played a Test against the United States (2015) and England (2016), but Cheika wanted to see some mongrel before returning to Wallabies gold.
"There were a few things I wanted to work on last year and I think I took it on pretty well," Carter said.
"You don't really think about [if you'll play another Test], you just have to know your role so you can concentrate on that.
"It's been about my leg-drive and body height in contact to try to win most of the collisions I'm in. That's the most important thing if you're a tight forward.
"I haven't really changed that much in size, it's just about fronting up and doing the little things right.
"Any time you get a chance in the gold jersey you need to prove yourself because you never know how long you're going to be in there.
"I know what that's like first hand given it's been 12 months since my last Test. So I'll be putting my best foot forward."
Cheika pulled a selection shock when he left Kane Douglas, Dean Mumm and Rob Simmons out of his squad for the series against Fiji, Scotland and Italy.
All three were ahead of Carter in the pecking order last year, but poor form and Mumm's impending retirement have opened the door for the Brumbies leader.
He will partner former Uni-Norths Owls lock Adam Coleman in the starting XV while Brumbies teammate Rory Arnold has been added as back up on the bench.
The trio, as well as Queensland's Lukhan Tui, have a chance to cement their place in the Test rotation and Arnold said they had to back up the coach's selection.
"I'm excited. Every time you get an opportunity to wear the gold jersey is something special," Arnold said.
"I guess Cheik is mixing things up a bit and building towards a team for the next World Cup [in 2019]. There are still plenty of games so players could come in and out.
"We have wait and see. But you know other guys are waiting so you've got to be on top of your game or other guys will step up and take your spot."
Carter was soaking up the Test environment and got the chance for a rare meeting with Messi, regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world, and an Argentina training session on Wednesday.
"It was unbelievable to watch him. We didn't chat about much, but we met him and it was good to see how they do things," Carter said.
"It's been a pretty good week when you factor in everything, but the only thing I'm worried about is playing Fiji."
Carter has stepped up as the Brumbies' captain this season and has led the club to its fifth consecutive Super Rugby finals campaign.
The Brumbies will play a home final on July 21, likely to be against a New Zealand team.
Carter said securing a play-off ticket before the Wallabies' Tests was a massive boost and would allow Brumbies players to throw themselves into international duties.
"I think being captain hasn't taken my game to a new level, it's taken it to a consistent level," Carter said.
"The job came pretty naturally to me ... it's really driven me this year because if I'm going to say a bunch of words during the week, I've got to back them up on the field.
"It's about setting an example and the standards in the team. Then ripping in with the rest of the boys."
