![Corey Toole scores for the ACT Brumbies on Friday night. Picture Getty Images Corey Toole scores for the ACT Brumbies on Friday night. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GzY3iczng7SLWqVgHSV78t/261ad6c7-5d72-4996-8d43-dd1d00bf9ebf.jpg/r0_213_3194_2016_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Corey Toole ran on to the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night and instantly felt at home.
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It's not the feeling you typically expect from a Super Rugby debutant, but then again, Toole is not your typical debutant.
The ACT Brumbies winger has spent the past year plying his trade on the global sevens circuit, where he helped lead Australia to their first overall World Series crown.
It's was a season that saw him play on some of the biggest stages in the sport, a Commonwealth Games, Sevens World Cup and at Twickenham.
So when Toole took to the field for his first taste of Super Rugby action in front of more than 25,000 fans, he felt like he'd been there before.
"It was quite similar to the grand finals I played in sevens," Toole said. "There was a massive crowd out there. It felt like a full house, I could hear everyone screaming and cheering from the sidelines, which made the game epic.
"It felt like I belonged out there. It's been a long pre-season, so I've got to adjust to the XVs game and felt really comfortable out there tonight."
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Toole and fellow Super Rugby debutant Blake Schoupp were outstanding in Friday's victory over the Waratahs, the young prop setting a platform up front with a series of dominant scrums.
Toole has been a among the clear standouts throughout the pre-season for the Brumbies, regularly impressing coaches and teammates with his skills, speed and physicality.
So while some players have struggled to translate sevens success to the XVs game, there was quiet optimism the 22-year-old would have no such issues.
If Friday night is anything to go by, Toole has taken to the new format like a duck to water.
The winger scored a try, looked to have set up a second, before the television match official intervened, and made three line breaks in the 31-25 victory over the NSW Waratahs.
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham was full of praise for the youngster and expects him to only improve as the season progresses.
"He was impressive, but he's been impressive since day dot when we got him to the program," Larkham said. "We played games last year and the trial games were superb. He's electric, you put him in a bit of space and he's as good as anyone in the game."
Toole's transition to the XVs game comes as Larkham and the Australian franchises are trying to reintroduce attacking variety into the sport.
With rugby becoming an increasingly physical, tight affair in recent years, there has been a push to increase the speed of the game and open up opportunities for teams to attack.
Toole looms as a key beneficiary of the changes and he has been urged to retain the flair that made him such a star in sevens.
"Bernie's been really helpful for me," Toole said. "He's just told me to back my instinct and work if the ball, if I see something, take it.
"[On Friday] if I saw space I was trying to take it and just do the best I can."
For Larkham, the key is to continuing harnessing that skillset while ensuring the next generation of sevens stars are also able to make a smooth transition to Super Rugby.
With former Australian representative Ben O'Donnell also in the Brumbies squad, the coach views the sevens program as crucial to the overall success of Australian rugby.
"There's a lot of talent coming out of the sevens program," Larkham said. "Australian sevens have done a good job over the last couple of years developing players. They certainly come into the XVs game with quite a unique skillset.
"Tooley, he's obviously got pace, got that little flick out the back of his hand, defence is really good, his breakdown work. We've seen a lot of that from the sevens boys coming in."
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