Phipps stunned by Australia call-up

Surprise Australia call-up Nick Phipps discovered he had been named in the Wallabies party for their spring tour after a night out celebrating the Commonwealth Games silver medal he won as part of his country's Sevens team.

The 21-year-old scrum-half was part of the Australia line-up that finished as runners-up to trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in Delhi on Tuesday, and he has now reached another landmark in his career after beating off Melbourne Rebels team-mate Richard Kingi and Brumbies half-back Josh Valentine for a place on a trip which includes Tests against New Zealand, Wales. England, Italy and France, as well as midweek games against Leicester and Munster.

Phipps has yet to make an appearance in Super Rugby, but he was part of the Sydney University side that recently won the Shute Shield competition and was known to be on coach Robbie Deans' radar as a player with the potential to play Test rugby.

He also admitted that his inclusion had come as a major surprise.

"This morning our team manager walked in and woke me up and told me. I was a little bit dusty after a big night last night but it was pretty exciting," he said.

"I'm still pretty shocked but it's good, it hasn't really sunk in yet.

"I saw an article (suggesting I could make the squad) but I obviously didn't think anything of it at all. I was just happy to be over here in Delhi and I seriously didn't think I had any chance at all. I'm still so surprised.

"I'm just looking forward to meeting all the boys, all the people I've seen on TV and then just learning as much as I can and soaking up as much information as I can so I can become a better player from it."

Phipps will be joined on the trip by three of his Sevens team-mates in the form of Pat McCutcheon, Lachie Turner and Luke Morahan, and Deans says the fitness exhibited by the Australia squad in the shorter form of the game had been a key factor in their selection.

"We've obviously been watching these blokes for a while and Nick's played some very good club rugby," Deans said.

"The one thing you get out of the Sevens program is that they're in the shape of their lives and I guess one other advantage that Nick has is that he's played alongside a lot of these blokes (with Sydney University).

"Clearly he's a development opportunity, whoever we opted for there was likely to be that. Richard (Kingi) hasn't had a lot of rugby this year but he obviously got a fair amount of time with us which is good, so he's had the benefit of that."

Phipps' on-field involvement is likely to be restricted to the mid-week clashes against Leicester and Munster with Will Genia and Luke Burgess battling it out for the Test starting role, but the Sydney native is confident he can handle the step-up to the Test arena if required.

"I'm pretty confident and I've been playing in front of a lot of big crowds all year in the Sevens program and I don't really mind about that," he said of the prospect of a Test call-up.

"I'd be excited if I ever got a start like that, it'd be awesome but I think I'd definitely be all right if it came around.

"I seriously just want to put my best foot forward and learn as much as I can and meet a lot of the blokes.

"I'll obviously be pushing as much as I can but I know Will (Genia) is there and Luke (Burgess) is there and they're phenomenal players, so if I can just learn as much as I can off them I'll do my best I think."

Turner is the only one of the Sevens contingent to have won a Test cap, while the other new faces are centre Pat McCabe, winger Rod Davies, flanker Scott Higgingbotham and lock Van Humphries.

Reds veteran Humphries, 34, will become the oldest player to make his debut for Australia should he win Test honours on tour.

Meanwhile, lock Mark Chisholm (knee) and skipper Rocky Elsom (hamstring) are both confident they will be fit to line up in the tour opener against the All Blacks in Hong Kong on October 30.