BETWEEN A FLURRY of injuries and chaining himself to diggers, David Pocock’s unrelenting ability to pilfer ball has been a little bit forgotten in the world of rugby.
As we entered the World Cup back in 2011, Pocock was arguably the best openside around and the semi-final clash v New Zealand was very much billed as ‘David v Richie’.
As well as that, his quarter-final performance in Australia’s narrow win over South Africa was so destructive at the breakdown that there were chalk outlines all over the pitch showing where he had gotten away with murder.
Unfortunately for Pocock, knee injuries in 2013 and 2014 saw him lose his place in the Australian team to Michael Hooper, who is an equally tigerish flanker. However, Pocock has been playing close to his best this season and his latest display against the Blues indicates that it might be a good balance to have the Brumbies man at seven and his ‘Tahs rival at six.
The game is shifting more and more to playing 6.5′s at openside rather than out-and-out groundhogs like Pocock, and it really is sublime to watch someone latch onto the ball like a leech.
Hopefully Pocock can continue his resurgence and make an impact at the World Cup. The tournament will be far better for it.
