DEANS TO GIVE FORCE BACKROWERS A CHANCE
Tuesday, 11 May 2010 5:17pm
By Chris Pike
David Pocock on the burst
David Pocock on the burst
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans expects Emirates Western Force backrowers to feature strongly in the upcoming international season and believes established young star David Pocock will take his game to yet another level.
Following the retirement of George Smith, spots are certainly available for Force stars Pocock, Matt Hodgson, Richard Brown and even the emerging and versatile Ben McCalman, and Deans is certainly aware of how well they have been going with the Force this Super 14 season.
Force fans might be crying out to see their strong backrow combination, which was outstanding last season and has been again since the returns of Pocock and Brown from injury this year, be the Nos. 6, 7 and 8 for the Wallabies, but Deans feels that is possible but not probable.
He is impressed with the trio tremendously, though, and their efforts against Richie McCaw and the Crusaders, who he knows inside-out, makes him even more aware of their abilities.
"It's a possibility, but fair to say not a probability. They have shown in their performances this year what they can do," Deans said while in Perth with tickets going on sale for the June 12 Cook Cup Test with England at Subiaco Oval.
"David Pocock and Matt Hodgson have blossomed on the back of their experience and are starting to assert themselves as recently as their performance against the Crusaders where Richie McCaw was shut out of the game. That's great from our perspective."
Hodgson had an outstanding 2009 campaign when he cemented himself as a starting backrower with the Force, and was rewarded by being part of the Wallabies mix for the first time and this year has gone to another level.
It was hard going with Pocock and Brown out injured, but he still performed outstandingly well and has continued to do so since their return where Pocock, in particular, has been brilliant and Deans has certainly taken notice.
"Matt's performance when he might have felt a little isolated at the start of the campaign when the Force experienced the loss of a few players was remarkable. He stood out like a rock in a river in many ways, the tide was going the other way but he was holding his own," he said.
"He's (Pocock) ready to go to the next level at international rugby. He's shown that in spades now. This will be a good place for him to start."
Whether or not McCalman is in the mix for the Tests next month against Fiji, England and Ireland or for this year's Tri Nations remains to be seen, but there's no question Deans knows that he has all the hallmarks of being a future Wallaby.
Having the ability to play both as a flanker and lock and do both roles with equal effectiveness gives him a big edge, as does his physicality and improving confidence with ball in hand.
"We involved Benny in a trial last year and he was pretty close to coming on the end of year tour. He's shown that he is a young bloke who is starting to get comfortable at Super Rugby level," Deans said.
"He's always been pretty physically willing and as he gets comfortable he'll add the subtleties to his game. He's clearly a bloke who has the ability to play for the Wallabies at some point."
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