Hooper primed for breakdown scrap

Updated September 05, 2012 17:00:08

Wallabies flanker Michael Hooper says he expects to cop a physical battering when he fronts up against South Africa in Perth on Saturday night.

Hooper will start at openside flanker in the absence of the injured David Pocock, who was at his pilfering best against the Springboks at last year's World Cup.

Pocock's dominant display at the breakdown lifted the Wallabies to an unlikely 11-9 victory in their quarter-final in Wellington, despite the Springboks dominating the match.

With Pocock nursing a knee injury that has ruled him out of the remainder of the Rugby Championship, the 20-year-old Hooper knows he has big shoes to fill as the Wallabies attempt to win the crucial breakdown battle against the Springboks.

The Springboks have opted against using a specialist openside flanker in recent matches in the injury-enforced absence of their specialist Heinrich Brussow and Hooper senses that creates an opportunity.

But he is also bracing himself for a physical battering from the bigger-bodied Springboks, who drew 16-16 away to Argentina in their last start.

"I guess when you're going for a turnover or putting your head in the breakdown, they come in flying," Hooper said.

"But in saying that, you've got a bit of an opportunity, a bit of a window to force a turnover, because they are bigger blokes.

"They probably will be a step or two [slower] than if they were playing a traditional seven.

"There's opportunities there, but you've got to be prepared to be belted."

Hooper grew up idolising Wallabies great George Smith, who gave him a call recently to wish him all the best when he replaced the injured Pocock for the last Test loss to the All Blacks.

"It was nice to hear from a legend like him," Hooper said. "He gave me some little words of wisdom about what to expect.

"I got to spend his last year in Australia with him down at the Brumbies and I learned a lot off him.

"He's a great bloke off the field as well as player on."

The Wallabies have recalled full-back Kurtley Beale for Saturday night's match, while Adam Ashley-Cooper reverts to outside centre after the more defence-oriented Rob Horne was dropped from the squad altogether.

Number eight Radike Samo replaces Scott Higginbotham in the starting XV, although Higginbotham is expected to play the bulk of the second half.

The Wallabies have won their past four matches against the Springboks, but coach Robbie Deans says that winning run will count for little ahead of their latest encounter.

"At the end of the day it doesn't matter," Deans said.

"The players understand that when you play the Springboks, you play a side that's always committed and you've got to earn everything you get, and it won't be any different on Saturday.

"The past is irrelevant."

AAP

Tags: rugby-union, sport, south-africa

First posted September 05, 2012 16:18:15

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Wallabies want more grunt at the breakdown

Updated August 21, 2012 17:42:54

The chastened Wallabies are intent on showing more fire and aggression at the breakdown in their return bout against the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday.

The Australians were keen to keep their work under wraps on Tuesday, allowing media access to just the first 15 minutes of the session.

Outplayed in the 27-19 loss in Sydney last weekend, Australia has targeted an improvement in the contact area after conceding too many turnovers in that game.

"We just let them in to our breakdown and turned over our ball a bit easy," Wallabies' lock Sitaleki Timani told reporters.

"I think the thing we need to do is don't be nice to them at the breakdown.

"Try to get them off our ball and try and get quick ball to the backs to do their job.

"Watching the game they just lay all over our ball and we didn't really do too much about it."

Timani backed the new concussion test introduced last weekend after he was one of its first cases, following a clash with team-mate Anthony Fainga'a.

He said he was asked a few questions and had his balance and memory tested.

"I reckon it's really good because you can't really tell if you can still carry on playing when you've got concussion on the field," Timani said.

"I think it's better to bring you off and do a little test to finalise that you will be alright to play again or stay off the field."

Widely considered to be one of the better performing Wallabies last weekend, Timani said he had still to produce his best form at Test level and had plenty to work on.

A second loss in as many weeks would allow the All Blacks to win the Bledisloe Cup for a 10th straight year and do serious damage to Australia's challenge for the inaugural Rugby Championship.

"We have to win this game (on Saturday) to keep the Bledisloe Cup alive, so it's a do or die game for us from that perspective," Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore said.

"Likewise the Rugby Championship, we need to pick up points if we want to be in contention for that trophy, so it's a big game on a lot of different fronts."

AAP

Tags: rugby-union, sport, new-zealand, australia

First posted August 21, 2012 17:39:02

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Breakdown beast Pocock rises to occasion

Updated October 10, 2011 11:59:09

The "jackal at the tackle" has become common parlance at the Rugby World Cup, but it has never been better personified than in the shape of Wallabies flanker David Pocock.

The 23-year-old, who moved to Australia from his native Zimbabwe as a teenager, produced a stunning display in the Wallabies' 11-9 quarter-final victory over South Africa on Sunday.

He put in 26 tackles but more importantly continued to forge his trade in forcing turnovers at the breakdown.

In the absence of Springbok 'fetcher' Heinrich Brussow, who went off injured after 20 minutes, Pocock totally dominated the breakdown to help set up a semi-final against trans-Tasman rival New Zealand next weekend.

Coach Robbie Deans labelled Pocock's performance as the best individual display of the 2011 tournament.

"Immense. David Pocock's game was remarkable," he said.

"And it was bigger than he got credit for.

"He's clearly a huge influence in any game he plays in and we'd clearer be poorer for his absence.

"The world is blessed with some very good snafflers at the moment and no doubt people will be looking forward to next week, to that end," he said of Pocock's likely duel with All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.

Pocock has amassed 37 caps in the three years since making his debut, but was back on the field on Sunday for his first full game since missing the Wallabies' shock 15-6 pool loss to Ireland.

"We were very confident and clear what we wanted to do," Pocock said.

"But they pinned us in our half for long periods of the game.

"Because we were defending for so long there were great opportunities at the breakdown.

"Losing Brussow was definitely a blow for them," Pocock admitted.

"He's a quality player and he puts a lot of pressure on the breakdown."

Deans acknowledged that New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence's 'anything goes' approach to the breakdown had helped Pocock's game.

"I think both sides were hard done by. It was a hotly contested area so maybe it evened out, maybe it was fair," he said.

Springboks flanker Schalk Burger called Pocock a "fantastic player".

"Getting him back is a massive boost for Australia," Burger said.

"You know that if he gets the opportunity he will turn over possession.

"Any team knows that if it dominates the breakdown it will go well in the game and Pocock is one of the best openside flankers in the world."

AFP

Tags: rugby-union-world-cup, rugby-union, sport, australia

First posted October 10, 2011 11:59:09

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