Corey Toole says the prospect of winning gold at the Olympic Games and then wearing Wallaby gold in the space of little more than a fortnight "would be a dream".
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The door is open for the ACT Brumbies flyer to achieve a rare double after he was included in Australia's sevens team for the looming Paris Games.
Toole will return to the sevens arena after making a name for himself with a breakout campaign in the 2021-22 world series before potentially linking up with Joe Schmidt's Wallabies squad for the Rugby Championship.
The 24-year-old's inclusion in John Manenti's squad - which also boasts NRL-bound Mark Nawaqanitawase - caps off a huge day for the Brumbies after the club signed Tuaina Taii Tualima on a two-year deal following the demise of the Melbourne Rebels.
The men's sevens gold medal game in Paris is scheduled for the morning of July 28 [AEST], giving Toole enough time to leave the Olympic village and join the Wallabies before a Test against South Africa in Brisbane on August 10.
"That would be a dream but I can't look too far into the future. I can only focus on the Olympics now," Toole said.
"I had a good conversation with Joe a couple of weeks ago. He was pretty keen for me to just focus on the Olympics in the short-term.
![Corey Toole is heading to the Olympic Games. Picture by Gary Ramage Corey Toole is heading to the Olympic Games. Picture by Gary Ramage](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/bd96ecd8-60c1-4911-afaa-8dcb794cf926.jpg/r0_303_5927_3648_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"He wants me to do my best for the team and hopefully have success in Paris. He didn't guarantee me anything after that.
"I'm not too sure what the future holds with XVs and Wallabies and stuff like that, but I guess we'll wait and see.
"They've got four pretty good wingers at the moment so it depends on form and injuries I guess. I'll just focus on the Olympics and see what happens after that, we'll just wait and see."
Women's star Sharni Smale is set to become a three-time Olympian as one of two survivors - alongside captain Charlotte Caslick - of the squad that made history in Rio eight years ago.
Toole is poised to make his Olympic debut, with the Brumbies winger - who has set Super Rugby alight in his first two seasons - flying to France on Friday for a 12-day camp before heading into the village.
Manenti has been targeting Toole to bolster Australia's gold medal hopes, after the man dubbed the fastest in Australian rugby was named in the world series team of the year while on the sevens circuit.
"I probably never really thought I would make it to the Olympics," Toole said.
"When you're younger, you think you go to the Olympics to run the 100 metres or something, but ever since rugby came into the Olympics, I said 'what if?'
"Over the last few years when I played, it was a possibility when I was with sevens, but after going to XVs, I was never too sure if I would get the opportunity but luckily enough, I've been able to get into the team.
"Most of the team that is here now is the same as when I was there. It gives me a lot of confidence with the boys in there. I trust them and they've given me heaps of help since I've come back into the team, which has been unreal for me.
![Corey Toole has lit up Super Rugby. Picture by Keegan Carroll Corey Toole has lit up Super Rugby. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/36vwtM5n3dmMVgNPycRBEHz/48d867db-3432-45de-92b3-360546e279ca.jpg/r0_346_3796_2489_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I remember watching Rio and all those Olympics when I was younger, staying up late and watching all different sports, staying up as late as I could, especially during the school holidays. I just loved it."
If anyone was wondering how Toole would go if he lined up in the 100 metre sprint in Paris, he grins he might be "a fair bit off the pace".
Toole finished the 2021-22 world sevens series as Australia's leading try-scorer with 43, helping Australia to the world title for the first time.
Toole's ticket to Paris comes as the Brumbies make their first move in the off-season player market, swooping on a versatile Rebels forward to bolster their roster for next year.
Tualima has signed a two-year deal to move to the Brumbies, who will enter a new Super Rugby season with a settled roster determined to build on another semi-final appearance.
![Tuaina Taii Tualima has signed a two-year deal with the Brumbies. Picture Getty Images Tuaina Taii Tualima has signed a two-year deal with the Brumbies. Picture Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/91b51ea8-b949-4049-bbca-87663bf68bc0.jpg/r0_267_4149_2600_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
As revealed by The Canberra Times, the Brumbies and Tualima had been in negotiations for several months as Rebels players started to contemplate a future without a team in Melbourne.
The remaining four Australian clubs are looking at which players they can add to their squads, with NSW and Queensland expected to get the bulk of the stars from the Rebels.
Rugby Australia is working with the players to finalise their preferred destination, but it's understood the deal with Tualima was done before the Rebels were officially axed from the competition last month.
"I'm thrilled to join the Brumbies, it is a club which has a proud rugby history," Tualima said.
"The club has produced so many high calibre players, so I'm pretty excited to connect with the staff and playing group and further my knowledge and skillset."
Tualima can play lock or flanker, fitting a similar role to the one played by Wallaby Tom Hooper. Tualima's arrival will help cover the loss of Darcy Swain, who is moving to Perth to join the Western Force.
Tualima has played 34 games since making his Super Rugby debut with the Queensland Reds before moving to Melbourne.
"He is a seasoned professional who has spent several seasons in Super Rugby and I'm very happy to have someone of his experience join our playing ranks," Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said.