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Latham can ease hangover
Rupert Guinness
Monday, June 18, 2007
One of the first things Wallabies coach John Connolly will do upon his return home today - besides getting "on the drink" - will be to check on Chris Latham.
The Queensland fullback, who ruptured knee ligaments in training and underwent surgery before the Super 14 season, is the last "missing link" among Connolly's back-line options to become available for World Cup selection.
But in truth, Latham, 31, is more than a missing link for the Wallabies. He is a vital link - hence Connolly's likely haste to be updated on his fitness.
Connolly should be heartened by the news the 2006 IRB player of the year nominee will finally resume squad training with the Reds this week with a view to fighting his way back into the Wallabies for the Tri Nations clash against the Springboks in Sydney on July 7. If that proves too soon, then he will aim for the All Blacks clash in Auckland on July 21.
"It is more likely to be the last one, but I am really hoping I can get in that South African game," said Latham. "It's that close and hard a call. It [won't be] a failure to be fit enough, or a failure in that the injury is not right, but whether [the Springbok Test] is the best option."
For now, Latham is focussed on and getting through his first few sessions of controlled contact work in a squad environment with the Reds. He might even play club rugby on Saturday for the Gold Coast Breakers. "Whether or not I make that date is no real reflection of how I am physically with the injury," said Latham.
"It is whether or not it is relevant that I play, or if it's more relevant to be training to make sure I get the strength I need. It is really up in the air at the moment."
That his former Reds teammate, Julian Huxley, has impressed in the Wallabies No.15 slot has not overly worried Latham, either. He has learned in his 72-cap Test career that you can't take selection for granted. He even welcomes the impending battle as a source of added motivation.
"Competition is always healthy," Latham said. "If you ever think that that position is yours, then you become complacent. You don't do the work and you don't do the things that are required, and I guess that is what pride is. I have had that all through my career and obviously it's no different."
Latham admits the journey back has been as much a test of the mind as it has of his body. The loneliness of five months of rehabilitation with only a trainer for company has got to him. "It is a pretty lonely process when you get out of a team environment [where there is] day-to-day interaction with teammates," he said. "You start to have your own mind games which can be quite draining."
"That is why I am really looking forward to getting back to that team environment; having that competitive aspect and being able to share it."
Latham also firmly believes the Wallabies can win this year's World Cup - a statement he made before the side fell two late field goals short of defeating the Springboks in their Tri Nations opener at Cape Town on Saturday night.
"The thoughts of the team is that we can be and will be successful," he said. "We just have to play our side, keep tight, stick together and believe in what we are doing. And, once again, do the job when it comes to World Cup time."