Samu Kerevi’s Wallabies squad almost seemed a fait accompli but the Reds centre won’t be letting up now that it’s here.
That it has finally come has given him a sense of relief, but more so excitement, going into a three-Test series against England.
“There’s been a lot of chat saying that I should be in the squad but for me the focus is in every game I put my best footy forward for the Reds,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully finally being named and I just want to go down and work hard for a spot in the 23 next week, which is going to be really exciting.”
While the first Test is still two weeks away, Kerevi said the potential of a Wallabies cap would be a chance to try and make his family and his adopted country proud.
“It would mean a lot to me and my family,” he said.
“I’ve grown up in Australia so for me to repay the Australian public would be a massive honour for me.
“There’s a lot of hard work to get that reward and it would be massive but for me it’s just each day as it comes.”
Kerevi is not entirely foreign to the Wallabies environment, having been involved in the 60-man wider squad ahead of the World Cup but the bustling Reds centre is far further up the pecking order this year.
A hand injury looked like putting a dent in his Wallabies aspirations but Kerevi returned for the Reds against the Sunwolves last weekend ,giving him some confidence heading into Wallabies season.
“To be honest I wasn't not really (worried about my Test chances),” he said.
“I was more upset about that I couldn’t help the Reds squad, we’ve been having a tough season and it was really heartbreaking not being able to contribute, knowing my hand as broken.
“It really hurt for me so to come back and be able to contribute against the Sunwolves was massive.”
Where Kerevi would slot into Michael Cheika’s Wallabies side remains to be seen and the 23-year-old said he was none the wiser about it.
“I haven’t talked any specifics so I’ll just come into camp, For me, I’m just excited by the new challenge wherever I get put."
