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

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.

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

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
-

Wallabies have a great little back up for Pocock in Hooper.

They make up for their lack in player resources via skill and technical expertise.