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Oosthuizen has Wallaby goals

New Brumbies recruit Etienne Oosthuizen has made no secret of his ambitions to represent Australia in the Test arena.

The 19-year-old utility forward, who was signed from the Lions recently, joined his Brumbies teammates in Canberra on Monday.

The giant South African, at 120kg and 198cm, played for the Lions this year before accepting an offer from former Springbok coach Jake White to further his career in Australia.

"The Brumbies have presented me with a fantastic opportunity," said Oosthuizen, who only turns 20 in December.

"Having grown up in South Africa, the move to Canberra was a big step for me but one I felt I was ready to make," he added.

"My goals are to become a regular Brumby and then further down the track, to represent the Wallabies.

"This is a long-term move to Australia for me so naturally I'm very excited."

The Brumbies kick-started their 2013 Super Rugby season with testing on Monday.

The entire squad assembled, with explosive testing and a beep test showing the boys to be in good physical condition for the coming season.

Robbie Coleman produced some of the most encouraging results for the backs while Scott Fardy and Leon Power worked hard to represent the tight forwards.

Wallabies Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore and David Pocock were also on hand, with Monday's testing the last chance for the Brumbies to assess their condition before the European year-end tour.

Head coach Jake White said he was pleased with where the squad was positioned at this stage of the season.

"The players were given their own programs to work through while they were away and it's encouraging to see them come back in good condition," White said.

"This time last year we were probably a bit behind the eight ball in terms of our fitness and getting to know each other. There aren't nearly as many new faces here and the guys we have recruited are in good shape physically and mentally.

"Pre-season is always an encouraging time of year. We see players working their hardest to catch the coaches' eyes and hopefully secure themselves a spot in the starting side."

The Brumbies pre-season will run fulltime until December 22, when the group breaks for Christmas.

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