Nick Frost lifted the World Cup as a boy, now he’s signed up to win it at home as a Wallaby

“I think that’s for any player, there was a bit of uncertainty,” Frost said of the coaching position. “Last year was my third year playing for the Wallabies and I had three different coaches … but Joe’s been great and we’re just waiting on the impending announcement of the new Wallabies coach.

“I think you’ve got to factor it [the new coach] into consideration, but you do also have to back yourself a bit; it is a new challenge either way.”

At just 25 years old, Frost is better placed than most athletes to speak about making decisions. As a schoolboy at Knox Grammar, Frost starred in athletics and basketball and was also contacted by the Sydney Swans to invite him to try out for their academy. He eventually focused on rugby.

Before being capped for the Wallabies in 2022, Frost accepted an offer to sign with the Panasonic club in Japan under Robbie Deans, before eventually being persuaded to stay in Australian rugby and becoming a key part of the Wallabies pack.

Frost has joined Wallabies captain Harry Wilson in committing to play in a home World Cup, but key international teammates remain in negotiations with RA, including star breakaway Fraser McReight and his Brumbies clubmate Tom Wright.

“I think it’s hard individually with contract negotiations,” Frost said. “I think everyone’s got different things they value, you never know what someone values whether it’s looking after the family or X, Y, Z, so it’s always complicated and it’s probably not as straightforward as people think it is…

“There are boys obviously committing and understanding what is ahead for Australian rugby and if people go, they go, there’s no hard feelings either way.

“I think as a player you always understand [other players’ decisions] because at end of the day, that could be you in that position that has to make that decision, and you’d hope the boys have your back.”

Frost has enjoyed sampling the different atmospheres of stadiums across Europe while touring for the Wallabies and hasn’t completely written off playing club rugby abroad at some stage of his career, but his focus now is on Australia.

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After working under Dave Rennie, Eddie Jones and Schmidt at the Wallabies, what would Frost want to see in the new coach?

“Joe has really focused on the basics of the game,” Frost said. “If you don’t do all that well, you can’t really play the game you want to … Dave Rennie was pretty similar with that. Whoever the coach may be, [focus on] fundamentals, I guess.

“I think the environment is the big one too, there’s a good relationship between the player and the coach, it’s like any workplace, be it rugby or anything, that really helps to put a team forward and gel.”