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Wallaby international Pete Samu admits he still can't understand why he fell out of favour with coach Michael Cheika and got left out of the 2019 World Cup squad.
The Brumbies eighth man was a regular fixture in the Australian side in 2018 but was overlooked for the global showpiece in Japan.
With Cheika's exit after the World Cup, Samu once again appears to be in the Wallabies picture, after being named in an unofficial "players of national interest" squad following a great start to the Super Rugby season with the Brumbies.
Samu revealed his delight at receiving a call from new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie and finding out he back in the running for No 8 jersey.
"It was pretty positive [hearing from Dave Rennie]," the 28-year-old told the Australian Associated Press on Thursday.
"Being in that group gave me massive confidence that what I was doing on the field was being rewarded.
"He was happy with the way I was playing and gave me just a few work-ons but it was pretty positive messaging which is good."
Samu said he used being left out of the World Cup squad as a big motivator, although he still can't understand why it happened after such a promising start to his Wallabies career in 2018.
"It’s a good question... I couldn’t tell you to be honest," Samu said.
"It was quite frustrating at the time but I knew I just had to keep moving forward."
- TEAMtalk media
