Pocock blow to Wallabies
9 Mar 2013
Robbie Deans dismissed talk of George Smith playing against the Lions. Now he won’t be as sure.
Deans amazed with his off-field approach at the World Cup in New Zealand when he allowed Quade Cooper to taunt the All Blacks and to talk a game he was never able to produce on the field.
Not once did Deans discipline Cooper for putting unnecessary pressure on the Wallabies campaign and Deans seemed to misread the situation.
He has done a similar thing with his absolute dismissal of George Smith’s claims to a Wallabies recall for the Lions series. Deans said Smith’s return was good for the Brumbies but said he was not interested in picking the 100-Test veteran and said there were plenty of good open siders ahead of Smith in the pecking order.
Deans, in March, put his faith in David Pocock, Michael Hooper and Liam Gill, when speaking about a June assignment. It was stupid talk because the fetcher role has the highest attrition rate and already Pocock looks gone for the season.
The Wallabies captain who missed most of last year because of injury left the field early against the Tahs and the early talk is that could be the end of his year.
Smith, who replaced him, was superb and looked as menacing as he did before leaving Australian rugby a couple of years ago. Smith had a season in Toulon and one in Japan.
By Mark Keohane
15 Comments
9 Mar 2013, 15:53 pm
Pocock blow to Wallabies http://t.co/mj3x2mDleb via @sharethis Wallabies captain’s season could b over
9 Mar 2013, 15:54 pm
His best years is being spent injured.
Bad luck to him, good player when not injured
9 Mar 2013, 15:55 pm
“@mark_keohane: Pocock blow to Wallabies http://t.co/1a37aHA3um via @sharethis Wallabies captain’s season could b over” @LJ_Mac87
9 Mar 2013, 16:13 pm
How is Deans not disciplining Cooper the same thing as him talking down Smith’s chances of playing against the Lions before Pocock’s injury? Deans would probably agree that Pocock’s injury has slightly improved Smith’s chances, but he would at best be sitting on the bench while Hooper starts – and even then Liam Gill would be pretty unimpressed, and rightly so.
9 Mar 2013, 16:17 pm
yoh, just read the title as:
POCOCK TO BLOW WALLABIES
9 Mar 2013, 16:32 pm
@kaksioek-4: similarity is in the misreading of a situation. How difficult would it have been to say if Smith plays well and is the form fetcher then he has a chance. Why close the door 3 months ahead of selection when the position has such a high attrition rate
9 Mar 2013, 16:39 pm
@keo-6:
You think Jake will take over from Deans before the World Cup?
9 Mar 2013, 17:05 pm
@keo-6: The coach of the national side has an obligation to encourage players to remain in the country. If Deans spoke up Smith’s chances he would be sending the wrong message. As it is, I doubt he has said Smith has no chance of representing Australia again.
9 Mar 2013, 17:53 pm
Why would he when he’s got Michael Hooper & Liam Gill as well?
George Smith is just busy receiving his retirement package.
9 Mar 2013, 17:55 pm
Mark, you are right though, he shouldn’t have just dismissed Smith completely.
If he doesn’t pick him then so be it, but don’t come out at the start of the season and say the guy’s got no chance.
9 Mar 2013, 19:54 pm
Big news from the north is that the Lions locking stock will be with out Richie Gray the giant Scottish lock who was a dead certainty to lock the Lions scrum. Torn Hamstring and will be out for the rest of 2013.
9 Mar 2013, 22:59 pm
@keo-6: same way Jake dismissed any idea of Watson ever playing in his team of 2005 / 2006 / 2007 unless fetching beers from fridges .. exactly that type of closed minded dismissal except in this case Smith is a 100 test veteran at the twilight of his career when Watson, like Gill like Hooper was a hungry and tenacious attribute Jake could have harnessed into his setup in 2005 – 2006 instead of losing 49-0 to the same George Smith and co. who he know idolizes and promotes with abject besotted adoration.
10 Mar 2013, 07:55 am
The difference is that Luke Watson is a complete tosser.
10 Mar 2013, 12:23 pm
13 tosser
/scrumfan
you havent a clue what you are talking about
10 Mar 2013, 12:37 pm
most unfortunate that pockok was taken out illegaly without the ball.
the ref did not see it and the assistants also were fast asleep.
useless
its time these assistant refs wake up and also for the ref to use the tmo for an injury to ascertain what happened.
refs these days are allowing players to be taken out illegally and it appears the powers that be do nothing about it
except in a scrum ruck or maul a player must not hold or push or charge into,or obstruct an opponent not carrying the ball.
and the aforementioned can only be carried out in connection with the appropriate law governing the above
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