Nathan Sharpe a chance to lead Australia in Elsom's absence
Iain Payten From: The Daily Telegraph May 25, 2011 12:00AM
Natural leader: Nathan Sharpe has been tipped to take over the captaincy of the Wallabies. Source: The Sunday Times
TEST veteran Nathan Sharpe is the ideal man to step in for the injured Rocky Elsom and lead the Wallabies in July, according to Western Force coach Richard Graham.
His recommendation came yesterday as Sharpe, David Pocock, James Horwill and Will Genia emerged as potential stand-in skippers after scans on Elsom's injured ankle showed the Wallabies captain is in major doubt to play Samoa in July.
Returning after six months off with hamstring problems, Elsom suffered a syndesmosis injury to his left ankle in the Brumbies' 13-all draw with the Force last weekend.
Elsom played on injured for 30 minutes to see out the match but scans showed ligament damage is not only severe enough to end his Super Rugby season, but place him in major doubt for the Wallabies' first outing on July 17 in Sydney.
That is eight weeks away but Elsom - who was spotted meeting Robbie Deans in Canberra yesterday - is now wearing a boot and will be unable to train for six weeks.
Elsom's return from six months off to play 80 minutes showed he is on track for the World Cup but Deans will need to consider a new captain for the Samoa Test.
The likes of Pocock, Horwill and Genia are seen as future Test leaders but Graham believes his outstanding lock and skipper Sharpe is a perfect choice.
"David has the qualities to become the captain of the Wallabies but I don't think coming into a World Cup campaign is the time to blood someone," he said.
"If Rocky was unavailable, Nathan, in my mind, would be the ideal man for the job. He has the utmost respect of everyone as a leader."
Graham's view on Pocock was shared by Wallabies great Tim Horan.
"I don't think it should be David Pocock at this stage," Horan said. "He is a future leader, no doubt, but let him concentrate on his game.
"You look towards Horwill or Genia."
Horwill and his deputy Genia get a chance to audition for the role when the Reds take on the Crusaders at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie yesterday added some spice by saying Sonny Bill Williams' offloads could be a weakness to exploit.
But Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder paid SBW a huge compliment by saying the big No. 12 is as valuable to Kiwi rugby as Dan Carter.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226062190447
David Pocock ready to lead Wallabies
if Rocky Elsom forced to miss Test through injury
Bret Harris From: The Australian May 25, 2011 12:00AM
OPENSIDE flanker David Pocock has emerged as the frontrunner to lead the Wallabies against Samoa in July in the event of captain Rocky Elsom being unavailable.
Elsom sustained a syndesmosis injury on his left ankle while playing in the Brumbies' 13-all draw with Pocock's Western Force in Perth last Saturday.
He is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks, which would rule him out of the Samoa Test in Sydney on July 17, the Wallabies' first outing of the World Cup year.
There has been speculation Queensland captain and second-rower James Horwill would replace Elsom, but Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has been grooming Pocock for the role.
Pocock does not captain the Force, but he is regarded as a natural-born leader. Given that he is viewed as a future Wallabies captain, the Samoa Test would be a good opportunity to introduce him to the role. Elsom's position as Wallabies captain for the Tri-Nations and World Cup is not believed to be under any threat.
Meanwhile, Wallabies utility back James O'Connor has been ruled out for the Force's match with the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night because of neck and shoulder soreness as the team suffered an inside backs injury crisis.
Three other Force backs _ five-eighth Willie Ripia (calf strain), halfback Brett Sheehan (leg muscle strain) and inside centre Gene Fairbanks (leg muscle strain) _ have also been ruled out.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1226062246785
Queensland Reds skipper James Horwill looming as likely Wallabies captai
n with Rocky Elsom injured
By Jim Tucker The Courier-Mail May 24, 2011 8:16AM
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Big chance ... Horwill is one of the leading candidates to replace Elsom as Test skipper. Source: News Limited
Queensland Reds leader James Horwill and David Pocock have emerged as fill-in Test captaincy candidates for the Wallabies with Rocky Elsom floored by injury.
Horwill can press his case as a Wallaby captain-in-waiting on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium because he will be playing a virtual Test match against All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and his Crusaders.
Scans confirmed a high-ankle sprain would sideline Elsom for at least six weeks, which puts him at long odds to lead Australia against Samoa in Sydney on July 17.
That is the lay-off before the powerful flanker even returns to training so it compounds the six months out of the game he had so recently because of chronic hamstring trouble.
Elsom's involved 80-minute comeback game for the Brumbies last weekend is now all the more impressive because he carried the injury for the final 29 minutes.
His left ankle syndesmosis injury translates as ligament damage above the ankle joint and recovery time is notoriously hard to guess. Hooker Stephen Moore was out for six weeks with the same injury earlier this year.
Elsom will miss the Brumbies' remaining four games and a lower level hit-out in Sydney club rugby shapes as his next comeback to get fitness for involvement in the July-August Tri-Nations.
It is a far from ideal build-up in a Rugby World Cup year for Elsom, who has led the Wallabies in 20 straight Tests since his elevation in late 2009.
Lock Horwill's case as a stand-in Test captain is built solidly on all he has injected to the Reds' cause in this stellar season and the experience he has built in the role.
The negative is he missed all of last year's Test campaign through injury.
Force flanker Pocock was a fixture and fits the flanker mould that Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has preferred in his captains - Reuben Thorne, McCaw and Elsom.
Only last week, Fox Sports commentator and former Wallabies fullback Greg Martin championed Pocock as the "spiritual leader" of the Wallabies when calling him a captain-in-waiting.
Berrick Barnes and Dean Mumm have been captains of the Wallabies in midweek tour matches in 2009 and 2010 but neither command regular Test spots.
Horwill hopes to lead from the front in the pack against the Crusaders in a showdown that is to draw more than 40,000 fans to Queensland rugby's biggest day out in 2011.
"The Crusaders have proven that they are the standard-bearers," Horwill said.
"They've been the standout pack probably all year and we've got to make sure across the board, not only in the set piece, we get it right so we can give the backs clean ball."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/wa...-1226061636374