NSW Waratahs number eight Will Harris is looking to translate his great start to the season into a Wallabies call-up after narrowly missing selection for next month's camp on the Gold Coast.
Harris was earmarked as a bolter for the squad after a strong start to the season, emerging as one of the key pieces in the Waratahs' resurgence in Super Rugby Pacific.
Whilst the 22-year-old narrowly missed out, a phone call from coach Dave Rennie has him primed for a strong second half of the season as he pushes for selection for the England series in July.
“I spoke to (Dave) briefly before they announced the squad,” Harris told reporters. “He told me I was close to making it so it was really nice of him to call me.
“He gave me some really good feedback on the stuff I need to work on….If I keep working on those areas, hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity at some point.
“I’m still focusing on things in my game that I can do better. There’s a lot of areas that I need to work on, mostly around my mental focus and my defence, little things that tend to make a big difference in my game.
“I’m just looking to work on that and learning from guys like ‘Hoops’ and Pauli (Taumoepeau) to build my game week-by-week.
“I’ve put in some hard work over the past three months so it’s always good to see it come to fruition…I’m just focused on being a better player every day.”
Discipline remains key for Harris, looking to limit the easy penalties whilst maintaining his mental focus for the entire game.
It's an area that hurt the Waratahs during last week's defeat to the Reds, nearly twice as more despite the hosts having two players issued cards during the first half.
“I think discipline is a big one, we gave away a lot of penalties that gave them cheap entries into our 22,” he believes.
“I think we just (also) need to turn over the ball more in defence. We’re defending well in our system but if we can create more turnovers and get the ball in the dangerous part of the field, I think we’ll be more dangerous and pretty hard to handle.”
READ MORE:
MIXED: Banks cleared as Zander receives ban
TOTW: Philip, Petaia shine
WELL-CRON BACK: Force announce new coach
It sets up a 'must-win' period for the NSW-based side, admitting they need victories over the Drua and Force to keep their hopes of finals football alive before they reach Super Round.
They are set to receive a major boost with Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper available for selection, with Izaia Perese (COVID) and Angus Bell (back) expected to return.
“I’m excited for it. Obviously, we’ve got two must-win games against the Fijians and the Force. I think we’ve been building nicely over the past six rounds and it’s now time to show our strengths,” Harris added.
“We need to win these two games to put ourselves with a good chance of making that top eight at the business end of the year.”
