Many did. But not the man himself.

Instead, Sio sat down to work out what exactly he had to do to fight his way back into a gold jumper.

Missing out on the spring tour turned out to be a blessing in disguise, Sio able to mentally refresh before launching into pre-season.

"As a player personally I just had to take a few steps back," Sio said. "Last year I had a good break and then I got stuck into a good pre-season. The challenge for us as players is how can we keep growing on and off the field. How can we keep evolving as players.

"I was just staying really present and I was making sure I do well for the Brumbies. If I put a good season in and I do get the opportunity to be part of the squad and represent what I can do, if not, it wasn't meant to be. We are where we are now, I'm very grateful, fortunate and looking forward to the weekend."

The hard work paid off, Sio producing one of his finest Super Rugby seasons in years for the Brumbies.

His performances caught the eye of Wallabies coach Dave Rennie and the 30-year-old will complete the remarkable turnaround when he is injected off the bench in Saturday's opening Test against England.

"A guy who's really impressed me is Scott Sio," Rennie said. "We left him at home at the end of year tour (last year). He had a really good off-season, he's played really well for the Brumbies.

"He's probably in the best nick he's been in a lot of years, so it's great to see him back in the group and in the 23 this weekend."

While Sio's Test career has been reborn, his time at the Brumbies has come to an end.

The prop remains tight-lipped on his next destination, however he is expected to remain in Australia and won't be short of options given his recent form.

The long-term goal looming in the distance remains next year's Rugby World Cup, Sio confident he can play his way into the Wallabies squad.

"It's quite sad to leave a team that you've spent a lot of time with," Sio said.

"This city becomes part of you and you're family. As life is, all good things must come to an end and you've got to part ways. It's part of that evolution as a player, where can you keep going and test myself in a new environment."