By Darren Walton
November 29th 2009 @ 2:05am
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We tried our hardest, says Wallabies captain
There was no grand slam, just a mixed bag of results including a humiliating loss to Scotland, but Rocky Elsom couldn’t fault his side’s commitment on his first tour as Wallabies skipper.
Elsom said despite the Wallabies’s fluctuating fortunes from Tokyo to Cardiff — and London, Dublin and Edinburgh in between — he’d thoroughly enjoyed the captaincy experience.
“I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the tour,” he said on the eve of Australia’s tour finale against Wales at Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
“But I feel in some ways very privileged to have led the side on this tour because I feel like everyone’s worked really hard.
“This whole tour I don’t think our effort at any stage could be questioned and I really appreciate that from all the guys.
“In all the matches I think it came through, even last week when it didn’t go the way we wanted it to.
“It was probably more painful watching it because you could see how hard the guys were trying.
“The level of effort is the thing that sticks out the most for me.”
The big flanker has certainly led from the front, standing out as one of the most consistent performers in all five Tests.
He capped a magnificent captain’s display at Croke Park with a storming second-half try which looked to have sealed Australia victory before Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll replied in the final minute of the 20-20 draw.
Elsom’s try was the only five-pointer scored by a Wallabies forward in 10 Tests since the start of the Tri Nations.
He also crossed for what appeared to be the match-winning second-half try against Scotland, only for the video referee to controversially rule he’d been held up over the line.
“I felt that I had enough pressure on the ball that it was down on the ground,” Elsom said, with TV replays supporting his claim.
Prop Benn Robinson said Elsom had proved himself a worthy choice as the Wallabies’s 76th Test captain.
“Rocky’s a really good captain,” he said.
“He’s very particular with his words, especially when he’s talking to the team in handling situations.
“I’ve known Rocky for a while now so I know the way he works and what makes him tick and doesn’t tick.
“As a captain, you can have a captain who’s quite inspiring in the way he plays and another captain who is quite inspiring in the way he uses his words, but I think Rocky’s got a good mix of both.”
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