Pocock to lead Wallabies
29 May 2012
David Pocock will be named as Wallabies captain later this week as James Horwill has been ruled out of all four of Australia’s June Tests.
Initially it was hoped that Horwill would be available for one or two of the Tests against Wales, but on Tuesday it was confirmed that Horwill’s hamstring tear is significant, and he won’t be available. The Wallabies lock will see a specialist to determine the period of his recovery.
Pocock is expected to be named stand-in skipper later this week. Interestingly, he will lead Australia against Scotland on 5 June and then four days later against Wales.
‘If you’ve been asked to do it, you do it,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald. ‘Everyone is excited about this next month and you’re never going to pass up the opportunity to play for the Wallabies. There won’t be any risks taken with players.’
Coach Robbie Deans has been working with Wallabies players selected from the Force and Reds, as they have a Super Rugby bye this week. Test players selected from the Brumbies, Rebels and Waratahs will link up with squad on Wednesday for a one-day preparatory session.
11 Comments
29 May 2012, 10:09 am
Pocock is an incredible player, like him or hate him, what a player! I reckon this year the Wallabies will be tuff to beat. They are the most settled 4N team!!
29 May 2012, 10:11 am
@race of tan(race of tan)-1: Wallabies are always tough to beat.
They make up for their lack in player resources via skill and technical expertise.
29 May 2012, 11:39 am
Pocokc hasnt being up to his usual form this season. Much like Heinrich
29 May 2012, 11:46 am
@race of tan(race of tan)-1: @willievz(willievz)-2: @greatest13gerber(greatest13gerber)-3:
Wallabies have a great little back up for Pocock in Hooper.
29 May 2012, 14:47 pm
@cane(cane)-4: Reds flank/Aus U20 captain Liam Gill isn’t looking too shabby either.
29 May 2012, 17:52 pm
An interesting battle is gonna be the #7 jersey
Hooper doesn’t resemble certain standout Australian fetchers of recent or current vintage like Phil Waugh and David Pocock, in that he isn’t as
monster-shouldered or quite as nuggety from head to toe.
For one thing, he surrenders eight kilograms in weight to someone like Wallaby incumbent Pocock
although he is bound to bulk up further as he gets a little older.
But he offers just as much nuisance value on the deck and is a particularly clever, elusive ball-carrier who doesn’t only rely on a bashing style to gain
yards.
With the Reds’ 19-year-old Liam Gill also firmly in the spotlight for all the right reasons, it is clear that
an Aussie culture of producing world-class open- siders simply continues, even if the premier, broader factory in loose forwards remains arguably
the property of South Africa.
Brussouw has not been dominate at the breakdown like he once was during the British lions tour, when the “tackler release rule come into play last year”
Northern Hemisphere players that are doing well at the BD
-Sam Warburton
-Sean O’brien
-
29 May 2012, 17:54 pm
@storiejoernal(storiejoernal)-6: Maybe the Aussies will play 2 opensiders a-la George Smith/Phil Waugh
29 May 2012, 18:02 pm
@storiejoernal(storiejoernal)-6:
NIce analysis
Pocock,Hooper,Gill and young Colby Faingaa.Nice openside talent in OZ but lacking in blindsides.Baring Higginbotham the rest arent really top class-Hodgson,Brown,McAlman,Dennis,Elsom etc
SA has the bigger blindsides in abundance=Burger,Vermuelen,Coetzee,Alberts,Kolisi,Stander,Strauss,Johnson,Deysel etc.But very short at openside with only really Brussow
NZ ok on both side but short on REAL quality after Kaino at blindside & After McCaw at openside. Thompson,Messam,Levave,Whitelock,Cane,Shields,Latimer etc
29 May 2012, 18:03 pm
George Smith best player to come out of Oz in last 10 years.Was discarded way too early by Knuckles
29 May 2012, 18:41 pm
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-9:
John Connolly was ‘looonnnng’ gone by the time George Smith announced he was retiring from test rugby to spend more time with his family overseas still at the top of his game.
He played another two seasons under Deans, captaining them in 2008 and was still starting in 2009 before Pocock started to knock on the door.
As for blind-siders… it’s typical Sydney selector scandal that Ben Mowen has not made the cut.
29 May 2012, 19:15 pm
Australian Flankers are doing wonders at the breakdown, it seems having a fetcher is becoming a must in this years competition especially when a coach who doesn’t believe in fetchers is using one
If Jake White still doesn’t believe in
the merits of fetchers, how ironic that the soaring fortunes of Michael Hooper have played a key role in the Brumbies’ slightly unexpected Super Rugby success thus far in 2012
Fetchers will play an even bigger role come internationals especially in the four nations competition
Australia will be spoiled for choice in
1Hooper
2Gill
3Poccock
While NZ are also performing well at the breakdown with
1Braid
2Lowe
3 Todd
As for South african Flanks all they’ve been doing is contact play, strong running etc suited for the English test but not 4 nations & there has been no stand out at the breakdown not even Brussow but one SA player doing the BD job is Bismarck Du Plessis
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