Scott Sio's burning desire to force his way back into the Wallabies squad is fuelling the loosehead prop's push to take his game to another level and his club is reaping the rewards.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The ACT Brumbies prop missed Dave Rennie's 40-man squad for a Wallabies camp in Coogee earlier this month but the door is still open for Sio to play Tests this year.
Sio took the chance to assess his game and pinpoint areas he had to improve, refusing to sulk or kick stones about missing the squad.
Now he has a chance to make a massive statement as the Brumbies prepare for a Super Rugby AU qualifying final against the Western Force at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.
"You're always disappointed, you always want to be there and be in amongst it whether it is a training camp or not," Sio said.
MORE SPORT
"I just used that time to revisit my game and see where I can keep getting better and keep contributing to the Brumbies because at the end of the day, making those squads and playing for your country is a product of what you do here at Super Rugby level.
"I'm just looking forward to the challenge ahead, putting some good games together and contributing to the team wherever I can."
The Brumbies enter the sudden-death final as favourites to book a spot in the following week's grand final in Brisbane, having enjoyed a bye last week to recharge the batteries.
But Sio is refusing to get complacent as the Brumbies look to build on a strong finish to the regular season at the set piece, an area they pride themselves on, against a Force outfit riding a wave of momentum into the finals.
"The thing about rugby, you can be on top one week and be quickly brought back down the next week. Making sure we keep backing up is the name of the game," Sio said.
"We had the luck of the draw there with [the bye]. It's worked against teams in the past so the best thing for us was to utilise that as best as we could with recovery and getting away from the game, and understanding we could have a seven-week stretch here [with Super Rugby Trans-Tasman]."
SUPER RUGBY AU QUALIFYING FINAL
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Western Force at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets from Ticketek. Broadcast: Live on Gem and Stan Sport.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
