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Smith, Pocock clash crucial
- Wayne Smith
- From: The Australian
- February 09, 2010 12:00AM
GEORGE Smith and David Pocock will clash for almost certainly the last time in Perth on Friday and Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom predicts their duel will determine the fate of the Super 14 season-opening Brumbies-Western Force match.
Smith's stunning announcement last week that he is retiring from international rugby after 110 Tests has opened the door for his heir apparent Pocock to entrench himself as the Wallabies' openside flanker for years to come.
But it also means that, aside from the possibility of the Brumbies and Force confronting each other in the play-offs in May, final bragging rights between the two rivals will rest on the outcome of Friday night's showdown at Members Equity Stadium.
Elsom admits it is a clash he would love to sit back and watch but given that he will be busy making his Brumbies Super rugby debut at blindside flanker, he will have to make do with glimpses on the run.
"The two number sevens hold the key to the game," said Elsom. "The team that wins the breakdown will win the game."
Like everyone else, Elsom is going into this match -- his first since the Wales Test at Millennium Stadium in November -- uncertain how the new refereeing philosophy of rewarding the attacking side at the breakdown will play out in real terms.
"The rules are pretty much what the referee decides on the night, so you can't do much preparation for that," Elsom said.
As Australian captain, Elsom was given advance notice of Smith's decision to retire from Test football but made no attempt to talk him out of it. "You can't really ask any more of George Smith than he's already given to the Wallabies," he said.
Brumbies coach Andy Friend agreed with Elsom's assessment of the pivotal importance of the Smith-Pocock battle. "I think George will have a big point to prove," said Friend.
"I can't say I've noticed any more resolve about him since his announcement because he always plays with such vigour and commitment. But he told me he wants to repay the Brumbies by going out a winner and if George Smith says he wants to go out as a winner, that's fine by me."
But if the Brumbies are to avenge last season's 25-16 loss to the Force in Canberra, Elsom and number eight Richard Brown will need to provide Smith with plenty of support because it was at the breakdown that the Perth side won the 2009 game. "They had three genuine pilferers in Pocock, Richard Brown and Matt Hodgson so they denied us any multi-phase play," said Friend. "And, of course, Matt Giteau was on song and carved us up."
Now Giteau is back in the Brumbies ranks, although it is no better than a 50-50 proposition whether his injured quadricep will heal in time for him to play against his former Force teammates. Even if he does, he might avoid placing unnecessary strain on his leg by handing over the goalkicking duties to Stirling Mortlock.
That might be the best outcome all round because Mortlock has spent the off-season dangling on 996 career points, needing just two more goals to become the first player in the history of Super rugby to reach the four-figure milestone.
One-Test Wallaby Mark Bartholomeusz, returning to Australia after stints at Saracens and Italian club Petrarca, will turn out at five-eighth against his former team, following the season-ending injury to Brumbies' South African import, Andre Pretorius.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225828055592