one thing though

Say your leaving for the money as well as family.

Lets face facts if you were not going to get paid a stack more cash than the ARU are prepared to pay you then you would be staying.

There is nothing wrong with setting you and your family up for a good retirement. An extra million in the bank when you retire will mean you and your family are set up for life.

What a pity the ARU don’t help great players like yourself out at the end of your careers.

Cullen was one of the greatest loses the AB’s suffered at that time.

Old-timers will tell you a guy called Col Windon was our best open-side flanker. Nicknamed the ‘Breeze’, his WW2 occupation was to “run” messages between various Army unit HQs, often under hostile fire.

Played his rugby at Randwick, where they invented (???) the fifteen man game!

However, I never saw Windon, but I did see Smith, & he’s the best 7 I’ve seen play for the Wallabies. He’s in good company – Greg Davis, Ray Price, Greg Cornelsen, Simon Poidevin, Chris Roche, Jeff Miller, David Wilson & Phil Waugh being the other standouts in this position over the past 40 years.

BTW, playing 100 tests says as much about opportunity as ability. I wouldn’t rank George Gregan for example, above others scrumhalfs I saw play – John Hipwell & Nick Farr-Jones.

One and a half seasons until the world cup – and you would think Smith would be at least an excellent impact player of the bench.

He was good enough to be captain of the team last year – and it looked like the motivation was there when he was playing.

I can’t help but think that Deans has pulled a “Cullen” on Smith here…

Phil Waugh will be there come RWC time boys, and if we don’t win it, you can bet it won’t be Phils’ fault. Never seen him let anyone down, doesn’t have the natural talent of Smith or Pocock but what an amazing over achiever. Should be an inspiration to all club players who have some ambition.

I think we can blame the lack of opensides on clubs and S14′s focus on big players in the back row at the expense of speed. If it was up to me I would be converting Lote’s cousin to openside, they would get big and fast. Not sure if he has the ticker for it.

On one hand I think it would be beneficial for him to stay with the Wallabies for one more season. I think part of the reason Pocock played so well in Europe was because he had to meet George Smith’s standards to be selected in the side. Also, while I’m a huge fan of Pocock, there’s a question mark over how well he’ll do against New Zealand and South Africa. Australia has a hoard of players who were all sorts of awesome against NH teams, but never played their best against New Zealand. That’ll be Pocock’s challenge for this year. Then again you could argue Smith hasn’t had a win over McCaw since… I don’t know when.

On the other hand I think it’s a good move. Pocock played better than him on Europe. Pocock could potentially get better while Smith won’t. Australia seems to have problems culling their greatest players (eg Campese, Lynagh, Gregan, possibly Larkham) when it’s time to move on. While New Zealand doesn’t have problems culling their greatest players when their time is up (Gary Whetton, Buck Shelford, John Kirwan, Christian Cullen). I think Pocock deserves his Wallabies spot, and it makes sense to continue with him. It would be a sad way for Smith to end his career as a player on the bench keeping Pocock on his toes. Also 2009 wasn’t his best year. He went missing in a few games, such as the English Test, and he made some bad errors in important games, most notably against New Zealand in Auckland this year.

Smith was an awesome player though. Watch Martin Johnson’s half time speech on the DVD ‘Living With the Lions: the 2001 tour down under’. The Lions basically were killing the Wallabies in the first Test, and at halftime Johnson said, “If we get Smith out of the game we’ll be fine”, or something to that effect. Even when the Lions were winning they were worried about Smith.

I think he was at his best when he played with Finegan and Kefu. That’s the best Wallabies back row I have ever seen – so balanced. There was a play in the second Lions Test in 2001 where Matt Burke scored a try after tremendous lead-up work from Gregan and the Aussie backrow. Gregan was barking orders and Kefu and Finegan were constantly taking the ball into contact and gaining yards. Smith was right behind them, putting his head over the ball, clear out the rucks, getting out and rushing to his next ruck. They were tremendous that day.

If people want to call him ‘on his day’ Australia’s best backrow, then I won’t argue, because ‘on his day’ he was pretty special.

For mine he’s still ahead of Pocock in the pecking order but for how much longer is an open question. I can understand that he would not want to go into the World Cup playing second string. It will reduce the Wallabies’ depth in 2011 but hopefully another young 7 will take the chance.

As a Brumbies fan I will be sorry to see him go, but I think the timing is perfect for them as it means they can offer Salvi something for 2011. Like you I am wondering if the perfection of the timing may not have been a coincidence.

By the way, anyone else read the story early this week that Julian Salvi was looking for an Aus return?

Insider trading!!

Pocock and Waugh will do well in the 7s and how many teams have 3 quality 7s? If any team loses their top 2 players in any position they usually have a problem digging out a seasoned veteran, as how did they get exposure wuith 2 blokes in front of them? The fact GS is gone should ensure there are some hungry young 7s getting a sniff. Especially with Waugh likely to go after 2011.

Bring back Beau Robinson!!!!

Pocock off contract, where do you think he will go now ?

George thanks for the memories and best in luck in life. Apart from his rugby talents and achievements in the game which have been so accurately summarised by other Roarers, in this age of sporting “role models”, there are few better than this bloke.

Best wishes and thanks again.

GS was better easily, but im afraid a sorely missed element to OZ rugby is sitting in a guy who may not ever pull on the OZ jumper ever again.

Having said that, injuries do happen. If heaven forbid, Pocock suffered one that eliminated him from playing in the RWC, would Robbie beg him to return? And might he consider that?