Growing up through the pathways in Perth, Carlo Tizzano played with a chip on his shoulder.
Now, the 24-year-old, who said he was looked down on when representing Western Australia by his opponents on the eastern seaboard at state level, is set to have the last laugh after being called up by Joe Schmidt to make his Wallabies debut.
The openside flanker will wear the No.7 jersey against the Springboks in Saturday afternoon’s sold out Rugby Championship opener at Suncorp Stadium.
His extraordinary journey to the No.7 role comes after injuries to Reds duo Fraser McReight and Liam Wright.
Tizzano is expected to be one of a handful of changes to the starting side, The Roar understands, with Isaac Kailea to pack down alongside Matt Faessler and Allan Alaalatoa in the front-row.
Carlo Tizzano poses during an Australia Wallabies Portrait Session on August 05, 2024 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images for ARU)
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, meanwhile, will come into the pack to form a second-row combination alongside Nick Frost, with the duo to go toe-for-toe with Springboks monsters Eben Etzebeth and RG Snyman.
Tizzano, who was stuck behind McReight for the Junior Wallabies, is likely to form a back-row trio alongside Rob Valetini and Harry Wilson.
The Roar understands Schmidt will stick by Ben Donaldson at No.10, with Jake Gordon to return at halfback after missing the 40-29 win over Georgia in Sydney last month.
Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau are expected to line up in the midfield opposite World Cup-winning pair Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel.
Who makes up the back three remains to be seen, with several candidates – Marika Koroibete, Filipo Daugunu, Corey Toole and Max Jorgensen – likely in the running to join Tom Wright and Andrew Kellaway in the outside channels.
Mystery also surrounds the availability of Taniela Tupou.
Tupou trained fully on Tuesday and was with the Wallabies on Wednesday, but a News Corp report said the giant tight-head prop would miss the Test because of a death in the family.
Should Tupou be ruled out, it’s likely Zane Nonggorr, who debuted against the Springboks during the Wallabies’ heavy first-up loss in Pretoria last year, would come onto the bench.
It’s believed Schmidt is strongly weighing up a forwards-heavy 6-2 bench split.
The Wallabies will name their side on Thursday afternoon, almost 48 hours after Rassie Erasmus confirmed his side on Tuesday evening.
Erasmus, the double World Cup-winning coach, has opted to start Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at No.10 for the first time with Handre Pollard one of two backs on the bench alongside halfback Grant Williams.
The Springboks have otherwise named an intimidating starting XV, with a World Cup-winning front-row, including tight-head prop Frans Malherbe.
But it’s Tizzano’s call-up that will catch many by surprise.
Indeed, being drafted into the squad last week even surprised himself.
“Yeah definitely didn’t expect it, that’s for sure,” he said via Western Force Media.
“I’ve been enjoying my time with UWA but I had to call Greg Holmes the head coach and let me know I won’t be able to play this weekend, I’ve got another job to do.
“I was just in the ice bath and got an email sent. I was just checking my timer and I got an email sent through just saying ‘Wallabies selection letter’…I couldn’t believe it to be fair.”
Tizzano added that it was every “Australian rugby kid’s dream” to wear the Wallabies jersey.
“The opportunity to potentially play against the world champs, the two-time (defending) world champs will be awesome… I’m just going to rip into training as best I can,” he said.
The flanker was one of the Force’s most consistent players and was at the forefront of their stunning upset over the Reds in Perth in March.
A hard-nosed, feisty back-rower, Tizzano has never shied away from confrontation.
Indeed, when the Force were booted out of Super Rugby, Tizzano ventured across to Sydney and immediately said he intended to take Michael Hooper’s spot at the Waratahs. It didn’t sit well with his new teammates.
(Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
“My mindset isn’t any different,” Tizzano told The Roar earlier in the year.
“I think a lot of people don’t understand that. At the end of the day, saying that to the media probably wasn’t the right thing. But what an awesome mindset for a 19-year-old kid to be like, ‘No, I’m coming here to compete.’
“I think people kind of come away from that and they go, ‘Oh, who does he think he is?’ But I’m just a kid who wants to compete.
“I’m from WA. It’s always been a lot harder for me to get to where I am because we don’t have the rugby schools, our programs aren’t as elite, and we don’t get recognised as much.
“Being from WA, you’ve got to have that chip on your shoulder and want to compete at every moment otherwise it’s going to be a bloody tough journey to being a professional rugby player because everyone plays AFL. If you want to play rugby in this AFL town, usually people laugh at you.
“I look back on it and think I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but I won’t hide behind it.”