'The best set piece in the world': Darcy Swain's Wallabies ambition

The ACT Brumbies lock is hunting his maiden Test appearance having been drafted into Dave Rennie's squad on the road to a three-Test series against France next month.

The 23-year-old comes from a Super Rugby system built on a clinical set piece under new Wallabies forwards coach Dan McKellar.

Now Swain, who calls the shots for the Brumbies' lineout, is determined to bolster Australia's set piece for the opening Test against France at the SCG on July 7.

"I'll try to drive that here and be a leader in that sense," Swain said.

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"[I'll] work with Lukhan [Salakaia-Loto] and Matt Philip when he gets here, Sita [Timani] and the other locks, to just try to make sure we have the best lineout, the best maul, the best set piece in the world.

"I like to pride myself on set piece, so I like to think of myself as a lineout lock. That's my point of difference, owning a lineout and making sure I'm on the computers looking at how we defend, how they defend, how we attack and how they attack, and making sure we pick apart each and every bit of the lineout and maul in that sense.

"I just want to make sure I'm just as good in that area if not better than my competition, but at the same time we're working together to make sure we can be better as a pack and as a lineout group, so we can go into this series dominating in that area.

"Obviously it's all a competition but at the end of the day we're going to put the best 23 out there. I'm going to push that case, but at the end of the day it's the best 23."

Swain served an apprenticeship under the likes of Sam Carter and Rory Arnold at Brumbies headquarters before emerging as a regular starter.

Carter was "a lineout nerd" while Arnold was an imposing physical presence - both traits Rennie believes Swain possesses after Brumbies mentor McKellar unearthed the "mongrel" in the rising star.

So it was fitting McKellar gave a "rattled" Swain the call to tell him he would be joining the Wallabies in camp - even though at first Swain thought it was "a nothing call".

"He's the coach of the Brums and he has always been big on set piece. Every forward has got to have a presence," Swain said.

"If you're a hooker, you should be able to throw; if you're a lock ,you should be able to jump. It goes for every position.

"At maul time, it's all about just loving the maul and having that bit of edge about us. If we can all come together and under Dan's guidance have that mindset, and have that element of a dominant set piece, I'm sure we'll go well."

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