Brumbies recruit Rory Arnold, the tallest player in Super Rugby.

If you thought NSW Watarahs and Australian Wallabies battering ram Will Skelton was big, meet ACT Brumbies recruit Rory Arnold, the tallest player in Super Rugby.

The 208cm, 130kg lock created huge headlines last year after being involved in an alleged biting incident in South Africa, but Arnold is determined to make a big impact at the Brumbies for the right reasons.

While man mountain Skelton weighs in at 140kg, at 203cm he can’t match Arnold, who is equal in height with former South African player Andries Bekker. They are the tallest players in Super Rugby’s 19-year history.

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Arnold, who only took up rugby seriously three years ago, was accused of biting an opponent after scoring a try in his Currie Cup debut for Griquas in South Africa last year.

Officials tried to suspend him for seven weeks and it made headlines in Australia, but Arnold was cleared two weeks later.

“It was pretty out there [the biting incident], I scored a try and then it happened. I knew I didn’t bite him, so we fought it,” Arnold said.

“I got cleared, so there was a bit of justice. It was a bit of an eye-opener, mum and dad called me up but I didn’t pay too much attention to it.”

“I don’t want to be known as a dirty player, I just want to get on with the job.”

Arnold hopes he can impress Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham enough to earn a Super Rugby cap next season.

The Brumbies were under-sized this year, with Sam Carter and Jack Whetton the tallest at 200cm. Bekker no longer plays Super Rugby, making Arnold the tallest player in the competition.

“I love the physicality, that’s how I injured my shoulder… trying to whack people,” Arnold said.

“At the moment I’m 130 kilos, but I think I’ll have to lose a few and get down to maybe 126kg or so.”

The Brumbies believe Arnold is untapped potential. He’s a former rugby league junior who stopped playing sport when he was 16.

It wasn’t until some of his mates in Queensland asked him to play third-grade rugby three years ago that he burst on to the rugby stage.

Arnold is recovering from a shoulder reconstruction and hasn’t played in almost 12 months. He hopes to be fit to play in the last rounds of the National Rugby Championships for the Vikings.

“I was just playing rugby for fun for the first two years, just a bit of bush footy,” Arnold said.

“I’ve always been tall, but when I left school I shot up. I’ve still got a lot to learn and I’ve already picked up a lot.”

“I wasn’t really interested in basketball because there was no contact… I’ve got a twin brother who’s just as tall and we were both leaguies.”

“It would be awesome to get a couple of caps next year, and just to get fit. I just want to give myself the opportunity to play.”