Brumbies lock Cadeyrn Neville was soaking up some overdue down time in Batemans Bay when he received a phone call.
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It wasn't entirely unexpected, but it meant cutting short his family's coastal getaway and rushing up to Sydney. That's the way it goes when the Wallabies come calling.
"If you're watching some Test matches and you see someone in your position get hurt you probably check your phone a bit more often," Neville said.
"It was obviously a little bit unorthodox, coming off my holidays into it on short notice. But pretty much put your hand up any time they ask you to get involved."
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto had gone down with an ankle injury, and Dave Rennie's coaching staff used the opportunity to give Neville a chance to train with the Australian squad.
It was the shortest of notice, but that's something the 32-year-old has become accustomed to in a year which "rolled from air purifiers into face masks".
Barely a week after his return from Japanese rugby in January, amidst an orange sky and horrifically smoky Canberra air, Neville was thrust straight into the Brumbies team to play his old team the Queensland Reds.
He suffered a broken foot mid year during the COVID-19 shutdown, but recovered just in time for the Brumbies' first Super Rugby AU clash against the Waratahs.
Neville returned to Canberra from Wallabies duties last week and has slipped straight back into preseason training which will run for two more weeks before the Christmas shutdown.
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Then he'll head to Condobolin for the festive period and finally enjoy some time away from rugby.
"The wife's family live in Condobolin, living in Canberra it's as close as we've been during my career, [it's] only a four hour drive," Neville said.
"It's normally pretty easy going when I'm there."