Marika Koroibete doesn't expect to be gifted a game on the spring tour but Wallabies assistant coach Stephen Larkham said there was no reason why he couldn't fit in like Matt Giteau did 14 years ago without any Super Rugby caps to his name.
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Koroibete was a surprise selection in Michael Cheika's spring tour squad that departed Sydney on Friday given he has never played a game of Super Rugby.
A member of the Melbourne Storm team that fell short against Cronulla in this year's NRL grand final, Koroibete has signed with the Melbourne Rebels for next year but gets a chance to impress Cheika on a five-week spring tour in Wales, Scotland, France, Ireland and England.
Cheika defended his selection earlier in the week, saying he was not devaluing the jersey by taking Koroibete to Europe because he had not been handed a Test cap yet.
Koroibete, who let the news slip to reporters last month Cheika had promised him a spot on the plane to Europe, said he was not expecting any favours but was motivated to do well.
"I don't know mate," said Koroibete when asked if he thought he would get a game. "[I want to] impress coaching staff and go from there. When I grew up in Fiji I always wanted to play Super Rugby. [I want to] prove some people wrong and train as hard as I can and play good games of Super Rugby. It's very hard coming from NRL to the Wallabies. I haven't played a game since high school, it's going to be a big challenge for me."
Larkham, the Wallabies' attack coach, is keen to see the speedy winger in action when the team lands in London.
He brought up the fact Giteau made his Wallabies debut in 2002 having never played Super Rugby before becoming one of Australia's best backs of all-time.
"Remember, Matt Giteau came out of club rugby and played on the tour and he turned into one of the greats of the game, so I think the challenge for Marika first will be to fit into the structure we have," Larkham said. "He's certainly got that background of rugby union. It's not much different when you're playing on the wing in rugby league to rugby union."
It will be an interesting dynamic between Koroibete and his new teammates given he was picked in front of Luke Morahan who has been on the fringes all year.
Koroibete does have a close friend though in Sefa Naivalu who he went to school with in Fiji.
"We are good mates," Koroibete said. "We went to the same school back at home, he's been doing well. I spoke to him about how he likes it.
"I've met a lot of them [new teammates]. They've been welcoming me. Hopefully they will make me feel more comfortable in the team."
