The no-nonsense Wallabies lock only has to look out of his hotel window in Canberra for a reminder of the humble beginnings of his rise to the top.

The bus stop. The training field at ANU. The cold nights. Canberra was Coleman's first stop after finishing school, linking with the Uni-Norths Owls to chase an ACT Brumbies contract while juggling work at a food warehouse.

Fast forward seven years and Coleman will get the chance to play a Test at Canberra Stadium when the Wallabies clash against Argentina on Saturday night.

"It was pretty tough. I was a 19-year-old learning how to cook, living without a driver's licence and trying to work to earn money as well as playing rugby," Coleman said.

"But I don't regret any of it. It was definitely a tough time in my life because I was trying to make ends meat and get the most out of rugby.

"I was catching the bus around Canberra ... it feels like a lifetime ago. But it was something that helped me grow as a person."

Coleman has established himself as one of the first-picked Wallabies after making his international debut last year.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to Canberra rugby fans. The 204 centimetre, 122 kilogram second-rower belted players in the John I Dent Cup for two years.

He will go down as one of the players who got away from the Brumbies, who opted not to offer him a full-time contract as a raw beast.

Former Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham revealed he tried to entice Coleman back to Canberra after he left, but the 25-year-old found a home at the Western Force.

"He was in our academy, and was on the fringe. But he quickly developed when he got to the Force," Larkham said.

"We had a crack at trying to get him back, and he was a player I targeted. We were disappointed, but he's certainly flourished."

The makings of an international tough nut started on the tranquil fields at ANU when Owls coach Adam Fahey recruited him from a division two schoolboys competition.

"We watched Tasmania play and this 190 centimetre kid came out and belted them," Fahey said.

"We had some ups and downs when he was here, but I said from an early stage this kid could be anything.

"He was big, aggressive and athletic. He wasn't awkward or a cat, he was smack-bang in the middle of it. Things moved pretty quickly for him."

Life in Canberra was a massive adjustment for Coleman, moving away from mum Jennifer and having to support himself on and off the field.

He worked at Bidvest, a wholesale food company, using an electric pallet jack to shift products around the warehouse.

"I've got a lot of memories in Canberra, so it's good to be back. It was a bit of a shock to the system, I was living off Mi Goreng noodles," Coleman laughed.

"[Fahey] said come up and give it a crack, he thought I could go the distance so I came here solo.

"It was a massive learning curve for me. But I'm glad I made that sacrifice of moving out of home."

RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

Saturday: Wallabies v Argentina at Canberra Stadium, 8pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.

Wallabies team: 1. Scott Sio (35 Tests), 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau (74 Tests), 3. Sekope Kepu (83 Tests), 4. Rob Simmons (74 Tests), 5. Adam Coleman (14 Tests), 6. Ned Hanigan (6 Tests), 7. Michael Hooper (c) (71 Tests), 8. Sean McMahon (18 Tests), 9. Will Genia (vc) (81 Tests), 10. Bernard Foley (vc) (48 Tests), 11. Reece Hodge (16 Tests), 12. Kurtley Beale (63 Tests), 13. Tevita Kuridrani (50 Tests), 14. Henry Speight (15 Tests), 15. Israel Folau (58 Tests). Reserves: 16. Jordan Uelese (1 Test), 17. Tom Robertson (12 Tests), 18. Allan Alaalatoa (15 Tests), 19. Izack Rodda (1 Test), 20. Jack Dempsey (2 Tests), 21. Nick Phipps (54 Tests), 22. Samu Kerevi (10 Tests), 23. Marika Koroibete (potential debut).