Reds number eight Harry Wilson is treating his resting from the Wallabies' Spring Tour squad as a 'blessing' as he looks to reclaim his spot in the side.
Wilson experienced a rollercoaster 2021, inspiring the Reds to a Super Rugby AU title before a 'frustrating' Trans-Tasman campaign saw the Queenslanders win one from five games.
The 22-year-old would start in all three games against France before being moved to the bench against the All Blacks for Rob Valetini.
Valetini's breakout season and the rise of Pete Samu as a super-sub saw Wilson not feature for the rest of the Rugby Championship, eventually left at home for the Spring Tour.
Whilst the decision caused plenty of conjecture, the Reds number eight relished the opportunity to refresh physically and mentally after a whirlwind start to his career, featuring in 40 games in his first 18 months, starting in 38 for club and country.
“Obviously last year with the Wallabies was a bit frustrating being in and out but I guess it’s almost been a blessing coming back here with the Reds and have some time to work on the few things they want me to improve in, which is some acceleration and footwork stuff,” he told Rugby.com.au.
“It was good to ease off the body as well, been playing a lot of footy against men so it was good to have a couple of months off and rebuild to hopefully get ready for another big year.
“It wasn’t the best year for me but I’ve loved being back here with the Reds and loving footy.
“I think the mental break was one of the best things for me…I wasn’t used to two years of basically footy straight around and not much of a break. Having that time with some of your best mates here at the Reds and normal life with friends and family has been great.
“You realise how much you miss footy so it’s great to have that break. We’re around 30 days away from round one and I don’t think I’ve been counting it down more than this.”
Wilson left Wallabies camp with full knowledge and acceptance he needed to work on his footwork and acceleration.
This comes after a series of conversations with the coaching staff throughout his time in camp, praising their communication and willingness to listen to player feedback.
“When I was leaving, I walked out knowing what he wanted for me and I told him what I thought,” he noted.
“It was a great chat and I left on a positive note in my mind knowing if I can come back to the Reds and play some positive footy and work on those little things that I know I can work on. I thought it was a positive finish and I’ve loved being back with the Reds ripping in and having that extra time with the trainers.
“The coaches are awesome there, they’re very open to a two-way conversation, it’s not just one way. It’s our footy career as well so if they’re telling us what to do, we’ve got to have an opinion on it.
“I really enjoyed it because I said what I thought, they said what they thought and we both agreed on it so it's awesome to be told this rather than having no options, it’s about working out what’s best for you.
“I’m happy for those open conversations and I think it’ll be best for my footy in ’22 and if not, it’s on me."
Whilst a Wallaby return remains firmly on his mind, Wilson's focus remains with the Reds as they look to improve on their 2021 season.
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Despite some thumping defeats during Trans-Tasman, the backrower believes the side is in a perfect position to shine in the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific season.
“For myself personally, it’s been an extended pre-season and even for the Reds who played last year in Super, they’ve had a pretty long pre-season so we’re very confident where we are at the moment,” he added.
“Obviously you don’t win many games in pre-season but I feel like we’re in our best physical shape that we’ve all been in a long time and hopefully that can help us in the games.
“We’re very happy where we are at in terms of structures and footy wise...Last year was a bit frustrating after a great Super Rugby AU to put some of those performances in at Trans Tasman.
“We’re well aware that in two of those games, we weren’t that far off and we’re pretty confident this year against the New Zealand sides. They’re some of the best in the world so it’s always fun playing them so we can’t wait for it.
“As a team, we didn’t perform well enough but we weren’t that far off. Obviously, we take the learnings from that but we also take confidence from it. We just get better and I know this year we’ll match up a lot better.”
