Holmes fights for Wallabies No.1 jersey

Holmes fights for Wallabies No.1 jersey

Friday Jul 27 13:02 AEST

Wallabies prop Greg Holmes wants to repay the faith of World Cup selectors with a barnstorming grand final display and use the Queensland Premier Rugby decider as a launching pad towards regaining Australia's No.1 jersey.

Loose-head Holmes will on Saturday play just his fourth match back from shoulder surgery in Sunnybank's quest to win their second Premier Rugby title in three years against Gold Coast.

The 24-year-old feels thankful and a tad fortunate to have been included in the Wallabies' 30-man World Cup squad on Monday.

Holmes has played no more than eight matches in the past 12 months due to neck and shoulder injuries but selectors preferred him to NSW's Benn Robinson as Matt Dunning's back-up in France.

It was the abrasive Reds front-rower's stand-out domestic season in 2006 - which won him the Wallabies' rookie of the year gong - that convinced coach John Connolly to punt on a quick return to form.

Holmes, who will also play two Australian Rugby Championship matches for the Ballymore Tornadoes next month, has demanded more from himself after failing to meet his own standards in Sunnybank's knockout final wins over Wests and GPS.

"But the selectors have thought I've played well enough to get picked," he said.

"I have to work hard and perform better than I have been.

"It's a pleasing fact they remembered what I'd done in the previous year. I'm very grateful."

But Holmes is not just satisfied at making his first World Cup. He is determined to win back his Test starting berth from Dunning for Australia's tournament opener against Japan in Lyon on September 8.

"That's my goal now. I'm here to put pressure on and play well and that's what everyone wants me to be doing," he said.

"All I can do now is scrum hard and train hard and see what happens."

do selectors not rate gareth hardy at all?? or is he too small in terms of prop size cutoffs? anyways best of luck to greg holmes, he has a tough task ahead of him as do a few of the wallabies coming back from injury - world cup rugby is a totally different game in terms of physicality and it is going to be tough on those entering it with bigger than normal niggles.

It would be nice to see Hardy, Holmesy and Rodzilla all in the front mix along with Shepherdson.
Shepherdson has played good rugby through out the whole series and held his own in the scrum against all his opponents.
On the other hand Dunning has had one good game at the G and Baxter well, the less said the better.