New NSW Waratahs recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is ready to test himself in Rugby Union as he delves straight into life in the new code.
Suaalii joined his future Waratahs teammates as well as a host of ACT Brumbies in Canberra as part of a wider Wallabies satellite camp.
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The 21-year-old was taking part in drills with the rest of the squad in front of a solid media contingency in the nation's capital ahead of the Wallabies Spring Tour and the Australia XV tour of the UK.
The former Sydney Roosters star quickly caught up with former Australia U18s teammates Billy Pollard and Tom Hooper to reminisce about their success over the Kiwis while chatting with Angus Bell about their school battles.
"It's exciting coming over from league. I was very excited just to get the boots on and meet the lads," he told reporters.
"There's been so much talk, it's been a long time coming. I knew I was always going to come here (to union) and I made a decision maybe a year and a half ago. It's come quick but I'm just excited about the challenge.
"I played the game at school so just fine turning and getting into Rugby and being able to play footy.
" I love playing footy and playing union so that's what I'm just looking forward to doing.
For Suaalii, the process of picking up a Gilbert ball instead of a Steedan was like riding a bike.
"I just love playing footy and running around the field, jump and catching the ball so it's pretty simple at the end of the day," he said.
"...I feel like there's more freedom. You can play both sides of the field so I was just learning about the ruck and a lot of things that I'm excited to do playing Rugby.
Suaalii confirmed he spoke with Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt as they entered camp on Sunday, with the two sharing a moment after the training session.
"Honestly, we just spoke about family, just getting to know each other, basically," Suaalii said on the inital interaction.
"I haven't really spoken about footy. It's just about getting to know each other and getting to know the boys."
The Queensland Reds and Western Force players will head into a separate camp later in the week before the two squads get announced later in the month.
