Rising Reds star Harry Wilson says he is not buying into talk he could be a Wallabies bolter despite a barnstorming start to his Super Rugby career.
Wilson generated plenty of excitement ahead of his Super Rugby debut with a strong campaign for the Junior Wallabies last year and an NRC season for Queensland Country that won him the Rising Star award.
And he has lived up to the hype, breaking into the Reds' starting XV for the opening round of the season before taking his game to an even higher level against the Crusaders in New Zealand on Friday night.
The 20-year-old had 26 carries for 73m gained and made two clean breaks, three offloads and scored a try as Queensland came within a whisker of a major upset.
"Obviously it was quite frustrating losing by four points but we take a lot of positives away, they've won three premierships in the last three years and have been going quite well this year, so there were a lot of positives," Wilson said.
"We've got to take them into this week and not make the same mistakes and hopefully go out there and get a win at home.
"I've been happy with how I've gone over the last six weeks but it's bittersweet because if the team wins it makes it all the more enjoyable, so I've been happy with it but hopefully there's a few more wins too."
Wilson was part of the main Reds squad last year but did not make his debut before leaving past-way through the season to link with the Junior Wallabies ahead of their World Rugby U20 Championship campaign.
"Last year just being with the squad I learnt a lot pretty quickly and then I found it pretty easy to come in with the team," he said.
"It's been a pretty set team, so it made my transition a bit easier and I've been loving every minute of it so far."
But he said he was "definitely not" listening to talk he could earn a gold jersey this year.
"We've still got at least 10 more games to go this year, so I'm just focused on getting wins for the Reds," he said.
Wilson, who has modelled his game partly on fellow no.8 and former Reds firebrand Scott Higginbotham, says he is handling the extra pace and contact of Super Rugby well and wants to continue to take his opportunities as Queensland look to turn their fortunes around following a 1-5 start.
"My body's handling it pretty well at the moment, obviously it's a pretty big step up going from 20s and club footy to Super, but the body's feeling great so I'm quite happy with how it's been handling it all," he said.
Confident in his ability without being cocky, Wilson is still surprised he has made such a seamless transition, saying he did not expect to be playing this well so soon.
"Not at all, I just try as hard as I can at training and just try and get yourself physically and mentally ready to go," he said.
"When I get the opportunity I just try and take it with both hands and I've just been loving every moment of it really."
His efforts will be crucial if the Reds are to beat the Bulls on Saturday ahead of the bye.
"We've played two good South African teams this year and obviously the Jaguares and they're all pretty big teams," Wilson said.
"We're definitely know what's coming this weekend and in the forward pack we've got to aim up and lead the pack around this weekend."
The Reds have great depth in the back row, with Wilson, captain Liam Wright and Angus Scott-Young combining well on Friday night with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto pushed forward into the second row.
"We definitely think we compliment each other well, we're three very different players and that benefits the team well," he said.
"We've got good balance and with Fraser (McReight) coming on with 25 minutes to go he really lifted the tempo and changed the game for us.
"So we're happy with how the back row's working."
The Reds take on the Bulls at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, March 14, kicking off at 7:15pm AEDT (6:15pm local) and broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports, Kayo and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO.
