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The brutal checklist Pocock has had to tick off to make his return

By Online Editors
There have been none better of late over the ball at the breakdown than David Pocock. (Getty Images)

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika says champion flanker David Pocock is 100 per cent fit, but unlikely to play the full match when he captains Australia in their Rugby World Cup warm-up Test against Samoa.

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Pocock hasn’t played since March due to a calf injury, while backs Jordan Petaia and Tevita Kuridrani were not considered for Saturday’s match at Sydney’s Bankwest Stadium because of hamstring issues.

‘He (Pocock) has got through everything in the camp, he hasn’t had to be managed at all, so he’s ready to go definitely,” Cheika said .

‘He’s been in every situation going for the ball, getting smashed, tackle, ball carry, chasing guys 80 metres to try and save a try so he’s done everything.”

Asked about Pocock captaining the team instead of regular skipper and fellow openside flanker Michael Hooper, who isn’t playing on Saturday, Cheika said they are sort of straight swaps, arent they?

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“They’ve got great experience, one can take the other’s lace and immediately flip into a captaincy role because they’ve both done it before.

‘Poey is a leader by nature in his actions and he’ll definitely take the team with him on Saturday.”

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Cheika was coy about whether he would use both Pocock and Hooper simultaneously at the World Cup, a talking point that goes back to even before the last tournament four years ago.

‘I may, I may not, I don’t know, we’ll take a look at it when the time comes depending on the game and see if we want the two lads together, or if we want to play a more traditional back row,” Cheika said.

He said Kuridrani should be fine by next week and Petaia would be ready to debut in either the Wallabies first or second World Cup match in Japan later this month.

Asked about the inclusion of Saturday’s 23 of six players not selected for the World Cup, Cheika said he chose a couple on the bench to cover Pocock and Jack Dempsey, both of who are returning from long term injuries .

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Other players were being rested after having a tough physical preparation in the camp in Noumea,

“One of the reasons we want there was to have a distractions-free environment, just concentrate on training hard and we certainly got that,” Cheika said.

“We pushed the boundaries in a lot of areas and I was really pleased both on and off the field.

“A lot of the team building that we wanted to do over there and building that spirit inside of the team was really good.”

Cheika predicted the game against Samoa would be an ideal final hit-out for Australia leading into the World Cup.

‘It’s going to be physical and fast and it’s going to be exactly what we need before we go to the World Cup,” Cheika said.

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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