Siokapesi Palu froze when her name was called.
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Wallaroos assistant coach Scott Fava had summoned her for a meeting on Tuesday morning. Such a meeting typically means a player has missed out on selection.
It's a situation Palu has been in on multiple occasions. The ACT Brumbies skipper is a regular in the Australian squad, but so often has watched her teammates from the sidelines.
So Palu instantly feared the worst when she met Fava for the meeting.
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This time, however, the coach had good news. The veteran will be lining up at blindside flanker for Australia's WXV clash with England in Wellington on Friday night.
"When he asked to speak to me I was nervous," Palu said. "I thought it may have been the non-selection chat. I wasn't expecting it, I thought my shot probably isn't here yet. The news was overwhelming but it was really good news and it was exciting to her from Scott.
"Knowing Scott used to play rugby, he gets it. He's been in this position before so hearing news like that from a former player, a former Brumby, a former Wallaby, means a lot."
Palu's shift from the centres to the backrow has been in the works since Australia's Pacific Four campaign in July. The 27-year-old had got sick of missing out on team selection and decided to take matters into her own hands.
So she decided to add another string to her bow in a bid to increase her value to Wallaroos coaches.
![Siokapesi Palu is ready for a new challenge in the backrow on Friday. Picture Brendan Hertel/Rugby Australia Siokapesi Palu is ready for a new challenge in the backrow on Friday. Picture Brendan Hertel/Rugby Australia](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GzY3iczng7SLWqVgHSV78t/cca1e834-b8b7-4dcc-b9df-83292f2ea2a9.jpg/r0_109_2048_1265_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Palu has spent the past few months learning the intricacies of playing in the backrow, from the scrums and lineouts to open field play.
It's been a steep learning curve for the ACT skipper and even she didn't expect to find herself in the starting side so soon.
"I have never played six before, centre was my position," she said.
"It is very new to be debuting and starting at flanker. I'm excited by the challenge and confident in myself. I've worked hard and the coaches have given me the confidence to go out there and do what I need to do."
Friday's match is the first of three as part of the new World Rugby WXV series. National teams have been split into three tiers, with Australia one of six sides in the top division based in New Zealand.
The Wallaroos will take on France and Wales throughout the next fortnight in a litmus test of their standing at the international level.
The Australian program is under-resourced compared to the likes of England and New Zealand, but Palu is confident they are closing the gap.
"It's a privilege to play against tier one teams," Palu said. "Rugby is their bread and butter up in Europe and they understand the game. In order for us to progress our game we need to play the best in the world.
"This sets us up as we work towards the 2025 World Cup in England and then home for the 2029 World Cup in Australia."
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