ACT Brumbies flyer Corey Toole sets sights on Super Rugby success

In fact, he once Googled 'How do you get fast?' as a teenager. The results included squats and lifting weights and the ACT Brumbies winger duly complied.

Fast forward to today and Toole is one of the fastest men in Australian sport. But how quick is he?

The flying winger has revealed he's hit a top speed of 10.2 metres per second.

For context, Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man once hit 12.4m/s but no other athlete comes close to the Jamaican sprinter.

Frankie Fainifo, the flyer who once chased down Bryan Habana was the fastest man at the Brumbies during his playing days. At 10.7 seconds over 100m, he was running at 9.34m/s.

Tom Wright held the mantle before Toole arrived, notching a maximum velocity of 10.1m/s.

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So Toole has most rugby union players covered, but what about other sports?

Essendon's Nick Hind is the fastest man in the AFL and maxed out at 10m/s.

Over in the NRL, Josh Addo-Carr is the fastest man in league and he has a slight edge over Toole. The Bulldogs winger recorded a top speed 10.75m/s last season while Jojo Fifita matched Toole at 10.2m/s. The Brumbies star, however, has the likes of Xavier Savage, Sebastian Kris and Jason Saab covered, according to NRL statistics.

All this from a man who didn't do athletics as a kid.

"I was relatively quick when I was 12 or 13 years old," Toole said.

"Once I started training a lot more, I've developed more speed the older I've got."

Toole's quick, we already know that, but what does it actually mean for an elite rugby player?

It means he can produce plays like he did on Sunday afternoon, a match-defining piece of individual brilliance that included a chip and chase before he won the race for the ball in the in goal.

It means he has scored seven tries and made 16 line breaks this year, second only to Blues winger Caleb Clarke.

A Wallabies debut beckons, whether it be this year or sometime in the future.

Fainifo played at a time where giant wingers were in high demand, teams searching for their Jonah Lomu.

The paradigm has started to shift following Cheslin Kolbe's starring role at the 2019 World Cup but it has taken time for the trend to emerge down under.

Toole, however, has put the giant winger theory to bed. Despite standing at 1.78m and weighing just 85 kilograms, the winger has emerged as one of the most exciting players in Super Rugby and is knocking on the door of a Test debut.

"When you've got footwork like Corey Toole, he can beat you on the outside, he can go with an in and away," Fainifo said. "One slight misstep with your footwork as a defender and you'll get punished.

"I wasn't really threatened by any big guys, they're easy to catch, can be predictable and you can show them the sideline. The small and faster ones are quite slippery, they're the massive threat."

David Campese laments the game of rugby barely resembles the sport he played during the 1980s.

The Brumbies, however, are bringing running rugby back and Toole is the face of an attacking style led by Noah Lolesio at flyhalf and Tom Wright at fullback.

"The guys on the inside are vital to give the guy space," Campese said.

"When you have gas, you have to have the opportunity to use the gas. Corey's had those opportunities."

Toole's current focus is on leading his side to Super Rugby success. His long-term goal, however, is simple.

"There's always room for improvement," he said.

"I'll work on my running mechanics and look to get a bit quicker."

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