As he prepares to finally play his first rugby Tests in Europe, Wallaby lock Nathan Sharpe says successfully meeting the challenge of turning around Australia's poor form would be especially sweet.

Earlier this week, Sharpe, was named alongside flanker Phil Waugh and centre Morgan Turinui as one of three vice-captains of the 31-man squad which will contest four Tests in France and The UK next month.

A regular member of the much scrutinised and criticised Wallaby pack, Sharpe agreed Australia had a point to prove on tour after suffering five successive losses to Tri Nations rivals New Zealand and South Africa.

"We've had a bit of a lean trot of late, and that's something we're looking forward to rectifying, and those challenges, if you can meet them, become even sweeter," Sharpe said.

He said tackling some of the best scrummaging nations in the world was the kind of challenge Australia needed two years out from the next World Cup.

Sharpe said the Wallabies had been studying tapes of their upcoming opponents, all of whom contest the annual Six Nations tournament.

"We've watched them all and obviously done our homework on them already, because we won't get a chance to see (first opponent) France play before we play them, so we've had a look at those guys," Sharpe said.

"It (the Six Nations) was a very impressive tournament again this year and Wales were fantastic last year and we're playing them last."

Despite becoming a near permanent fixture of the Wallaby pack since making his Test debut in 2002, the 27-year-old lock has yet to play a Test in Europe.

A shoulder reconstruction sidelined him from the 2002 spring tour and the need to rest that part of his body also kept him of the 2004 tour.

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