He's taken an unconventional path to the top, but Brumbies lock Nick Frost could be just two weeks away from a Wallabies debut.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
An injury to Izack Rodda has opened the door for a lock to step up, Frost firmly in the frame to don a gold jersey for the first Test against England on July 2.
While Matt Philip and Darcy Swain, are both in the squad and likely to start, many of the players coach Dave Rennie utilised during last year's spring tour are not present.
Rodda has been ruled out for up to three months and is likely to miss the Rugby Championships, while Lachlan Swinton is battling a shoulder injury and Rory Arnold and Will Skelton are playing overseas.
Rennie opted to select three backs as his overseas picks, Quade Cooper, Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete filling those roles.
The coach has admitted the severity of Rodda's foot injury may see a change to his squad for the Rugby Championships, Arnold and Skelton in the frame to return to the Wallabies setup.
For now, however, they are not present. That leaves Frost in a battle with Philip, Jed Holloway and Brumbies teammates Swain and Cadeyrn Neville for a place in the 23 for the first Test.
A 206cm tall, Frost presents an imposing figure and was a lethal lineout weapon for ACT throughout the Super Rugby season.
While the 22-year-old's dream started to crystalise at a training camp in April, Frost concedes only now does it feel real.
"The whole season you're quite focused on your own Super club," Frost said. "There was that training camp and then 10 or so weeks and it was quite far away. But week by week, the season has ended now and the team's playing in two weeks. It's come around quite quickly.
"Now the focus is on here, where there's a lot of time. A week's a long time, let alone two, especially with the days we're doing here, we're getting a lot of content in."
A desire to represent his country has guided Frost throughout his young, but eventful career.
An Australian Schoolboys representative, the lock made the unconventional decision to move to Christchurch after finishing school.
Frost spent 18 months in the Crusaders developmental system. The lure of a gold jersey, however, saw him return home to join the Brumbies for the 2020 season.
While the move to New Zealand raised eyebrows at the time, the emerging talent views the period as crucial to his development on and off the field.
"It was an unreal experience," Frost said. "Outside of footy, living out of home in a new country, new friends. Trying to look for a house was interesting, we were pretty young, but it was good fun, a great experience, I really enjoyed it over there.
"My main decision for leaving was to come back and have a crack at the Wallabies. I was pretty happy with my decision. I went back to the Brums, I've been loving it there and now I've got a few more years there."
Frost almost made a second international move earlier this year, signing with Robbie Deans' Saitama Wild Knights in Japan.
Again, the pull of a gold jumper proved too great and after it became clear he figured in Rennie's plans this year and moving forward, he eventually re-signed with the Brumbies on a three-year deal.
Now, that long-desired Wallabies debut could be just 14 days away.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram