Michaela Leonard sums up her elevation to the Wallaroos captaincy as a shock, one she "could only dream of" before the call actually came.
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But ask anyone on the Australian coaching staff and they'll quickly tell you why choosing the Canberra product to captain the Wallaroos against reigning World Cup winners New Zealand just makes sense.
"Mac's been a part of our leadership group for a while," Wallaroos assistant coach Sione Fukofuka sad. "She has driven our lineout though the World Cup, and as an individual is very mature and very meticulous in her preparation."
Leonard takes the reins of the Wallaroos in their O'Reilly Cup opener against the Black Ferns in Redcliffe on Thursday night.
Newly-minted Wallaroos skipper Piper Duck is still sidelined by the foot injury that saw her finish the Super W season in a moon boot and on a mobility scooter, so Australia turns to Leonard.
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The 28-year-old lock captained the Brumbies before crossing the country to join the Western Force this year, following a stint with the Exeter Chiefs in England.
Leonard plied her trade with the Tuggeranong Vikings and Canberra Royals in ACT Rugby's Premier XVs competition before a move west heralded a fresh start.
"It's a massive honour for me, it definitely came to me as a shock on Saturday night when I got the word from [Wallaroos coach] Jay Tregonning," Leonard said.
"A massive honour, it's something you can only dream of and something you will probably remember for the rest of your life. For me, I'm trying to take it as any other game week and just continue to do what I do as a player, communicate the way I do.
"I'm very fortunate to have a good bunch of girls who are leaders in their own right. They're going to be out there with us to help get us over the line.
"We've had a really good preparation week up here on the Gold Coast, [now it's about] just getting out there and putting it into practice on the field, and keeping the foot on for the full 80.
"It's a little bit of a different look squad this year. Everyone has come with a great energy to this campaign coming off the back of [a win over] Fiji."
Brumbies rookie Faitala Moleka has been named at fullback in her second Test appearance, while hooker Tania Naden starts at hooker with scrumhalf Jay Huriwai coming from the bench.
The Wallaroos have been bolstered by the return of Kaitlan Leaney, Emily Chancellor and Arabella McKenzie to the national fold, with the trio to play their first Test of the year after returning from a stint with Harlequins in England.
Carys Dallinger will take the playmaking reins for Australia against the country of her birth in one of the contest's most intriguing subplots. The Rotorua-born flyhalf is eligible to wear the gold jersey through her father Steve, who was born in Australia.
Dallinger rose through the ranks across the Tasman with aspirations of pulling on a black jersey, before a move to the Queensland Reds this year saw her emerge on Tregonning's radar.
Thursday's match is the first of Australia's games in the Pacific Four series which takes them to Ottawa to face the United States and Canada, before a return bout with the Black Ferns in Waikato.
"Super Rugby this year has lifted, which has allowed us to take steps forward and really excited as to what we can put out there against the Black Ferns. Hopefully this is our time," Fukofuka said.
The Black Ferns have named six debutantes with loosehead prop Kate Henwood, and wingers Katelyn Vahaakolo - a former rugby league international - and Mererangi Paul in the starting XV.
Scrumhalf Iritana Hohaia, Matatu first five-eighth Rosie Kelly and sevens player Tenika Willison are the fresh faces on the bench for the reigning World Cup winners.
"We always talk about not looking backwards and trying to build off good momentum," Black Ferns captain Kennedy Simon said. "The group is confident in the staff and each other, and we're firing to go."
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