Injury prone, down on confidence and disenchanted, Mowen had planned to walk away from rugby to become a chippie.

Six years later, Mowen will cap a remarkable recovery from the rugby scrap heap to become the 80th Wallabies captain in Saturday night's Test against Argentina in Perth.

Mowen has played just six Tests and is one of the most inexperienced captains in Wallabies history.

But when McKenzie took drastic action and axed skipper Will Genia this week, he turned to Mowen.

McKenzie also turned to Mowen in 2007, recruiting the back-rower from the Reds to the Waratahs.

Mowen had played just one Super Rugby game in two years at the Reds.

''At the end of 2005 and 2006, I was ready to leave and be a chippie - I was cooked,'' Mowen said.

''I thought I'd be a regular starter [in Super Rugby] by the time I was 22 and it was all ahead of me.

''You see your mates around you progressing and you're happy for them, but you're disappointed you're not advancing. I was disillusioned with the game. I would have been happy being a tradesman and playing club rugby.

''Then I went to NSW [to join then coach McKenzie].

''Everyone has tough moments, but it's about how you react and pop out the other side.''

Mowen has been given the task of trying to help the Wallabies resurrect their Rugby Championship campaign when they play Argentina on Saturday.

McKenzie is yet to win as Wallabies coach. Australia have lost five of their past six Tests, including four in a row.

Mowen, the Brumbies skipper, fills the void left by James Horwill and Genia.

The 28-year-old believes the Wallabies can become world leaders again, starting their rise against the Pumas. ''We're at the start of a development stage that's going to lead to a very good place and we have to tough that out,'' he said.

''I'm happy for my leadership to be defined by one game.

''When you get this responsibility, you're in charge of helping the team get a result.

''If this is the only team I get to captain, I have to make sure it's a winning one. I'm extremely desperate for that.''

Mowen was the national under-21s captain eight years ago and was regarded by many in Australian rugby as one of the best leaders in the game.

Injuries halted his progress. First it was a broken jaw, then a quad injury, a dislocated shoulder and a busted knee.

Mowen played eight minutes in his debut Super Rugby season and was ready to give up when McKenzie offered him a chance.

After leaving the Reds, Mowen honed his leadership skills under NSW great Phil Waugh and is now flourishing with Brumbies coach Jake White.

Mowen's career was at a crossroads again in 2011 when, unwanted by the Waratahs, he considered moving to Japan.

The Brumbies gave him another lifeline. Mowen led the Brumbies into the Super Rugby final this season, but even at the start of the year his future was unclear.

Former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans overlooked him last year and Mowen again considered lucrative offers from Japan.

He turned them down for his last chance at a gold jersey, gave up alcohol and focused on making his Wallabies debut.

It's his career of hard knocks that makes him the perfect man to step in when the Wallabies are on the verge of a crisis.

He'll team up with his under-21s vice-captain and Test veteran Adam Ashley-Cooper to lead the Wallabies against the South Americans.

Mowen said the birth of daughter Ellie had made him ''more aggressive'' in his dream of reaching the top.

He made his Wallabies debut against the British and Irish Lions in June. ''I don't think of it as I need to be here for a certain amount of time to be the person I am,'' Mowen said.

''I transition to the things I know work, the things I've refined.''

But after losing the series, the Super Rugby final and a disastrous start to the Rugby Championship, Mowen is desperate for a win.

Brumbies coach and World Cup-winner White made the shock decision last year to make Mowen captain of the new-generation team in the ACT.

''The reason I liked him as a captain was because it's never about him,'' White said.

''Everyone else around him comes first and he knows how to get the best out of them. I could never understand why he didn't make that next step [earlier].''

Since being overlooked for a Wallabies call-up last year, Mowen has bulked up from 103 kilograms to 110kg to add a powerful edge to his game.

One of Mowen's best attributes is inspiring his teammates to ''do the shitters'' - the ugly jobs that no one wants to do.

''His tactical skills and communicating with the referee is the best captaincy I've ever played under,'' Wallabies and Brumbies prop Ben Alexander said.

''Sometimes getting your first [Test] cap is the hardest. He'll admit he has always had parts of his game to work on, but it's paid off.''