'A few screws loose': Meet the Wallabies bolter charged with bringing down Springboks
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You have to be a little bit mad to willingly put your head over the ball as 120kg behemoths hurtle towards you.
Carlo Tizzano more than fits the bill.
"He has a few screws loose, old Carlo," Wallabies hooker Josh Nasser said with a chuckle after the 24-year-old was named for his Test debut.
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Carlo Tizzano of the Force warms up. Getty
"I played with Carlo through the (under) 20s set-up and played against him a fair few times. He's 100 per cent at training and jeez, he's 100 per cent on the field, so he'll be a big asset for us."
Tizzano's selection for Joe Schmidt's biggest examination in Australia so far is a surprise given he wasn't named in the initial Wallabies squad.
A rare Western Australian product to graduate to national honours, Tizzano was catapulted straight into the No.7 jersey following Fraser McReight's injury.
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Carlo Tizzano. Getty
He will be tasked with making a nuisance of himself at the breakdown, a task easier said than done against the likes of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Eben Etzebeth.
"It'll be good to have him on our side for this one," Nasser said, praising Tizzano's abilities as a "pest."
"Carlo backs himself to the hilt. He'll be confident and excited and ready to rip in. Wouldn't say he'd be too flustered with nerves."
Carlo Tizzano during a Wallabies training session at Ballymore Stadium. Getty
Tizzano got his Super Rugby start with the Waratahs and famously informed Michael Hooper that he was going to take his spot.
He also quickly made his mark at NSW for getting into training scraps with fellow firebrand Lachie Swinton.
"His energy is relatively positive, more than abrasive, but he fights for everything Carlo, and that's what first caught our eye," Schmidt said.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt talks to players at Allianz Stadium. Getty
"We had a bit of a work in progress eye over Carlo and it's a fantastic opportunity for him."
The coach hasn't asked Tizzano to try and replicate McReight's well rounded game.
"We just felt that Carlo would suit the combination that we picked in the back row and in the second row and so best complement that really," Schmidt said.
"He's such a good young man and we're really excited about watching him get underway. He's quite a dynamic competitor around the breakdown and I think in the context of losing Fraser, we needed someone who could bring elements of Fraser's game but probably not all of them.
"That's why we were picking Fraser before but it's a great opportunity for Carlo."
South Africa haven't won in Brisbane - where the Wallabies have a 75 per cent success rate - since 2013.
But the Springboks are still short priced favourites after squaring their July series 1-1 with Ireland and then flogging Portugal.
WALLABIES (15-1): Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Filipo Daugunu, Noah Lolesio, Jake Gordon, Harry Wilson, Carlo Tizzano, Rob Valetini, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Nick Frost, Allan Alaalatoa (c), Matt Faessler, Isaac Kailea
Reserves: Josh Nasser, James Slipper, Zane Nonggorr, Jeremy Williams, Luke Reimer, Tate McDermott, Tom Lynagh, Dylan Pietsch
SPRINGBOKS (15-1): Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach, Elrigh Louw, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (c), RG Snyman, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche
Reserves: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith, Grant Williams, Handre Pollard
