As the shell-shocked Wallabies picked up the pieces from a nightmare defeat, Richie Arnold allowed himself a couple of quiet beers and a moment of satisfaction.
The giant 33-year-old had just made one of the more unlikely Test debuts, following in the considerable footsteps of twin brother Rory.
Arnold had never even played a game of rugby until his early 20s when the Murwillumbah Bananas coach pulled off a recruitment coup.
Watch every match of the 2023 Rugby Championship on the home of rugby, Stan Sport. All matches streaming ad free, live and on demand
“I’m from a little town and I didn’t really play league, I wanted to go play league and then they started a rugby team,” Arnold told reporters on Tuesday at the Wallabies’ Manly hotel.
“And yeah, we were at the pub having a few beers and the coach was down there and he’s like, ‘Come down.’ And first Rory was like, ‘Yeah, we’ll come down’ and I remember saying, ‘Na, don’t worry, he’s talking trash, he won’t be down there’.
“But funny enough, yeah, Rory did roll down there and I came along and yeah, the rest is history.”
READ MORE: Suns sack coach after ‘relationships soured’
READ MORE: NRL warns Thurston over Origin antics
READ MORE: Teen prodigy snubs umpire after wild stand-off
Arnold started his professional career with the Force and Brumbies but now plies his trade with French glamour club Toulouse.
Representing his country was not on his radar until Wallabies coach Eddie Jones tracked him down with a message wanting to catch up in France.
“Yeah it was a little shocking,” Arnold recalled.
NEW PODCAST: Special guest Nick Phipps helps the crew unpack an ugly Wallabies loss in Pretoria and work out how to put things right in Sydney against the Pumas
“It was like: ‘it’s Eddie, what does he want?’ It was quite bizarre. It was crazy … when I left Australia all those years ago, Giteau Law and being uncapped, I always thought the opportunity to play for Australia was well and truly gone.
“So, when Eddie reached out to me, I was quite surprised. I had a sit down I remember afterwards. I had to take a moment in the car and recap what was said. Here we are now and it’s been a hell of a ride, a hell of a journey.”
The 208cm Arnold came off the bench in Pretoria with the Wallabies already in a big hole.
The chance to make amends comes against Argentina in Sydney on Saturday and halfback Nic White said Arnold provided the team with a rare edge.
“Just his sheer presence when he walks into a room, certainly for someone my stature is something. When you are coming out the tunnel next to him you feel alright,” White said.
“I think with Richie, he’s not only a big second rower but he’s come from a club that’s won a lot of trophies and that’s a lot of experience to get out of him.
“We’ve been talking to Richie about what Toulouse are doing. They’ve had a lot of success so the habits they bring are invaluable.”
White said Jones had rammed home some hard truths after a meek performance against the Springboks in Pretoria while also putting an arm around certain players as he searches for quick solutions.
The Pumas are in the same boat after getting blown away by the All Blacks in Mendoza.
All Blacks captain trips streaker in brain explosion
“Similar to us, they’ll be hurting a little bit and they’ll be a better side this weekend for it,” White said.
“The All Blacks made it look a lot easier than it’s going to be at times.
“The second half was probably more of a reflection of the side they were last year and the side that you’ll get for the rest of the year.
Barrett brothers combine for stunner
“They’re a well coached side, Cheik (Michael Cheika) will have them firing over here in Australia and yeah it’s going to be a tough one…
“They’re a very good defensive side, (David) Kidwell’s doing an amazing job with them and they’re starting to play some really good footy in attack, some really good shapes, very organised.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here
Eddie Jones’ remarkable career in pictures: Wallabies coach’s prescient Bazball warning for England
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
