Shannon Parry is relishing the chance to lead out the Wallaroos on home soil, preparing to break a four-year drought between Tests against Fijiana.
Parry last featured in the 15-a-side game in 2017, with just four players remaining from the 23 thumped by France 48-0 at the World Cup.
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Since then, the 32-year-old has established herself as a mainstay of the Sevens circuit before returning back to Super W in impressive fashion for the Reds.
New coach Jay Tregonning was quick to elevate Parry to captain for the upcoming Tests against Fijiana and Japan, something which the Queenslander didn't take lightly.
“It’s an absolute honour to represent my country so to be named captain is just that special little bit on top,” she told Rugby.com.au
“I played at Suncorp for the first time this year in Super W and being around the game for a little while now, you don’t get the opportunity to play at home (for Australia).
“To be a Queenslander playing at the cauldron is extra special so having my friends and family in the crowd will be a nice touch as well.
“To skipper the team out on Friday is something that I’m absolutely honoured and really looking forward to the challenge.”
The squad for the series includes 22 uncapped players, with Parry looking to lean on the likes of outgoing captain Grace Hamilton for experience as they begin their build towards the World Cup.
“It’s been really good, there’s a lot of strong leaders in this group and I’ll be relying on them on and off the field,” the gold medalist explained.
“You’ve got Grace Hamilton, Iliseva Batibasaga, everyone brings something different to the table in terms of how they lead and what they do on the field. It’s about working with those guys to get the balance right.
“Grace is an outstanding leader and someone I’m going to bounce ideas off and brainstorm together about how we can get this together as soon as possible and start building those combinations.
“It’s players like that I will look to for advice on or off the field so it’s definitely a whole team approach which is something I’m looking forward to developing my relationship with those players.”
Parry and the Wallaroos got a first-hand experience of what to expect from both nations on Sunday as Japan held off a determined effort from Fijiana 28-14 at Bond University.
The three nations took the opportunity to connect before and after the match, something which Parry welcomed, especially after Fiji's Super W inclusion.
“It was a really physical battle. I was really impressed with the quality of the game,” Parry notes.
“There was plenty we can identify and target (from that game) against Fiji and Japan. Overall, really impressed with the standard of style of Rugby played.
“I think it’s really good all three unions are able to work together and create this opportunity to play each other…to be able to share (Monday) evening them was really nice and welcome them to our country.
“To see the teams mix, obviously once you step over that white line there’s no mates, it was great to catch up with a couple of people I knew and to see the teams relax out of their performance set-up, it was really nice Rugby Australia was able to put on that event.”
