Pocock firmly focused on Wallabies
Related coverage
Wallabies captain David Pocock says it’s good to get the decision over his Super Rugby home out of the way and he’s fully focused on leading Australia into the Rugby Championship.
The champion openside flanker ended weeks of speculation over his future when he opted to move from the Western Force to the Brumbies.
He made the decision in the period between the end of a dismal Force campaign, which gleaned just three wins, and the start of the inaugural Rugby Championship later this month.
“It’s a distraction as much you let it be,” Pocock said on Wednesday.
“I was very clear on how I wanted to go about it.
“I asked till the end of the season to make the decision and I felt like I stuck to that timeline.
“Like any big decision, it’s good to get it out of the way, and now I’m fully focused on the Wallabies and the Rugby Championship.”
Arguably the world’s finest openside flanker, Pocock was pleased by the presence in the Wallabies squad of two more, in rising stars Liam Gill and Michael Hooper.
“It’s great to have that depth – to see young guys come in after a couple of seasons. It’s been good for Australian rugby to have them in this program.
“My experience of first making the squad as a young guy, you learn a lot every session, so I’m sure they are going to improve a lot.”
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said he didn’t expect big changes to the New Zealand and South African styles of play, despite each country appointing a new head coach, Steve Hansen and Heyneke Meyer respectively.
“Steve has been part of the furniture throughout. There will be a lot of consistency in what they do,” Deans said.
“We know Richie McCaw and Dan Carter are instrumental in the way they structure their game and obviously deliver it, so I don’t see enormous change but obviously there will be some subtle change.
“He (Meyer) has been part of Springbok rugby for a long period of time now and a lot of his players have come through him and so I don’t think they will change enormously.”
With the Olympics in full swing, Australian Rugby Union boss John O’Neill was already looking forward to the introduction of Sevens at the Rio 2016 games.
“As the London games finish, T-shirts will read ‘A rugby-led revival in Rio’,” O’Neill said.
“We’ll be very competitive both in the men’s game and the women’s game.”
© AAP 2013Looking to join The Roar team? We're searching for an experienced Group Sales Manager to lead our team in Sydney. Yes, this does mean you get to work with the site all day long! If you're a digital media sales star, we want to hear from you. Apply now.
Passionate about your union? Then sign up to The Roar's brand new daily union email, delivering Roaring articles directly to you day-in, day-out. You'll love it!
Click here to join now!
The Crowd Says (16) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- Rugby Union, Super Rugby, wallabies
August 9th 2012 @ 8:38am
Blue Blood said | August 9th 2012 @ 8:38am | Report comment
What a huge disservice to your Force peers. Why accept the captaincy and then walk away? If there was a decision to even make, then you were not 100% committed to staying at the Force. With this being the case you should have turned down the captaincy and let Hodgdon smoothly transition from Sharpe. Any player has the right to change clubs as they see fit for their own rugby, except the captain. The captain needs to be mindful of the team in all actions. In a year when the Force needed strong, unifying leadership they got Pocock. Great player. Selfish captain. And you seem to be so self focused that you can’t understand that what you have done was wrong. Players leave, captain’s lead. A lesson to be learnt Pocock.
August 9th 2012 @ 10:43am
Owler said | August 9th 2012 @ 10:43am | Report comment
For the force to keep a world class player and captain, they need to provide a work class environment. That’s coaches, players, facilities etc.
Pocock has basically done the best he can for the force, and it was up to them to do the rest, ie. get a coach, some players and admin that arent completely useless.
They couldn’t, so he’s off to somewhere that can.
August 9th 2012 @ 11:05pm
Spencer said | August 9th 2012 @ 11:05pm | Report comment
You mean like Sharpe did when he left the Reds?
August 9th 2012 @ 11:22pm
Damien said | August 9th 2012 @ 11:22pm | Report comment
Blue Blood,
There’s abit more to the story than that..
Pocock has busted his gut for the Force for 7 years and when he got the captaincy it was no different. When asked if Genia had come over would he have moved, his answer was ‘probably not’. On the coaching issue was basically the same. The fact that the coaching issue wasn’t resolved had small part to play as well.
From Pocock’s perspective he would have been thinking ‘I can’t cop another 7 years of this..’
The Force has to take some responsibility as well. Pocock can’t do it all himself.
When Pocock accepted the captaincy I cannot imagine him saying to himself ‘I’m outta here after 2012..’ Things happen and sometimes despite your best efforts it just wasn’t meant to be.
Every player wants to win a title and after 7 years at the Force, Pocock was never even in the race for one. And looking at it objectively at the Force they won’t be in the race for one anytime soon.
At the Brumbies at least he has a chance and with White there he will become an even greater No.7.
You don’t need to be the captain to lead a team. Pocock has been doing that for years. Its sad that he’s going but as Jake White said last week ‘when one door closes (Genia not going to Perth) another one opens (Pocock going to Canberra).
HOWEVER
The word is The Force are pretty dirty bout the whole thing and It’s understandable because they have supported Pocock more than normal with finances and his foundation.
For the Wallabies and Brumbies sake they have had a huge win. Unfortuantely for the Force they haven’t had the same luck..
August 9th 2012 @ 1:24pm
Garryown said | August 9th 2012 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
I fully agree with Blue Blood’s comments.He should have stayed for 2013 and if there had been no improvement then he would have had a reason to run away not this year. He’s let his mates down and the Force supporters.He conveniently forgets that he has got where he is today because of good coaching and an excellent Captain in Nathan Sharpe and his fellow scrum players.
August 9th 2012 @ 3:53pm
Carnivean said | August 9th 2012 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
Both you and Blue Blood are being childish. At the beginning of the year he was 100% committed to the Force, and expected to be there for the foreseeable future.
Losing the coach mid-season, then the witnessing the absolute shambles of a coach recruiting process, and not securing quality players for next season and far and away good enough reasons to leave at this time.
August 9th 2012 @ 2:52pm
Markus said | August 9th 2012 @ 2:52pm | Report comment
I don’t think its as simple as that, Pocock took up the captaincy under completely different circumstances to those under which left.
After taking the captaincy, a key player was released for stealing from teammates, the head coach jumped ship one year into a 3-year contract, and the Force board showed a complete inability to implement a plan going forward. By the time the season finished they still had no idea who would be coach.
While I can completely understand the frustration from fans, I think it’s a big ask for any player, even a captain, to blindly support a company with no direction and no vision for the future.
August 9th 2012 @ 6:57pm
Blue Blood said | August 9th 2012 @ 6:57pm | Report comment
Pocock actually said that he wouldn’t make a call on his future until after the super rugby season months before Richard Graham announced he was leaving. Some of the changes at the Force admin had already happened and Foley was already well into negotiations with the Force before he made his decision. Pocock made his decision for all his own reasons, but they were informed pnes that change was on the way. I sincerely think that as just a player he had every right to conduct himself the way he did. I stand behind my distaste in this behaviour from a captain. In my opinion he should have had to sign a 3 year deal before being offered the captaincy. Then this would not have happened. Either he’d have said no and Hodgson would have been the great captain he will prove to be. Or he accepts and the team gets the security and leadership they needed. Mismanaged by Mitch Hardy and selfishly played by Pocock.
The only one being childish here is Pocock. But he is only 24 and likely didn’t think through the implications of accepting the captaincy for only one year. Youth are allowed to be young and indeed childish.
August 9th 2012 @ 9:30pm
Carnivean said | August 9th 2012 @ 9:30pm | Report comment
You’re blaming him for taking something that was offered to him. Not only that, but you explicitly state that the Force should have done their part in securing him before making him captain.
He can’t be blamed for them offering him something, with no strings attached, and taking it. Your position continues to make no sense.
August 9th 2012 @ 10:07pm
Blue Blood said | August 9th 2012 @ 10:07pm | Report comment
Trying to provide a balanced argument with evidence on both sides does not mean that your position is compromised. It shows that you are making an informed decision.
If you think that Pocock did right by his Force team mates by accepting the captaincy when he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay, then they is your opinion. Good for you. I clearly think that that is not ethical or in the best interest of the team. They may be individual contractors but there are team considerations in a team sport. To me being captain means more than just being a team mate. I siggest that there is always meaning and thus strings (as you put it) attached to that role. I didn’t think that that was such a unique sentiment.
August 9th 2012 @ 11:02pm
Carnivean said | August 9th 2012 @ 11:02pm | Report comment
He did the right thing by the team for the time that he was part of the team. That is all that can be asked of a captain.
You’re stuck in a world where the “team” is ongoing. You might try to look beyond that and see that captaincy is not papacy.
August 10th 2012 @ 8:59pm
Blue Blood said | August 10th 2012 @ 8:59pm | Report comment
Wrong. That uncertainty was not doing the right thing for the team while he was there. So your argument seems void.
August 11th 2012 @ 12:08am
Carnivean said | August 11th 2012 @ 12:08am | Report comment
You seem to think that leaving the decision until the end of the season is a bad thing. That puts you against everyone else that rails against this kind of stuff being done in season. Negotiations are a burden, and distract players. It takes their focus off the field, off doing the best thing for the team.
In short, you are arguing that Pocock should have done the same thing the Will Genia did, where he suffered formwise for the first half of the season, only lifting in form once he signed on for the Reds.
You wanted that to happen to Pocock?
You’re arguing from the loony end of the spectrum. This has become an argument of natural scientist vs religious fanatic, and I will play no further part.
August 11th 2012 @ 3:03pm
Blue Blood said | August 11th 2012 @ 3:03pm | Report comment
Don’t read one post in isolation and then jump on your soap box. I believe that he should not have accepted the captaincy if he was unsure about whether he was going to stay in WA or not. So no mate, I don’t think he should have done a Will. I think that he should have turned down the captaincy for the good of the club. Rather than selfishly accepting a role that he even at the time knew he might only hold for one season. This is becoming like talking to my wife. I repeat myself 4 times because she picks on one isolated comment to build a counter argument. Yawn.
August 10th 2012 @ 10:02am
Garryown said | August 10th 2012 @ 10:02am | Report comment
Surprising how Pocock didn’t play iin Forces last 2 games because of groin problems but suddenly became fit again to join the Wallabies???
August 13th 2012 @ 5:49pm
sittingbison said | August 13th 2012 @ 5:49pm | Report comment
In defense of Blue Blood, various comments have revealed with the appointment of Foley that Pocock was almost certainly off long ago. He offered extremely lame reasons for leaving. Blue Blood is absolutely correct, he should not have accepted the captaincy if he was not 100% committed. – just because it is offered does not mean he should have accepted.
There are many Force fans who admire him as a player and a person, and wish him well on his future. But they are less than pleased with his performance as captain, and the fiasco surrounding his contract. We had to put up with months of speculation, rumour mongering and innuendo which was the final nail in the coffin in destabilising the season, he was incapable of saying anything other than “I will decide after the season”.
In truth this is also largely the fault of the completely inept Board and administration, who should have offered him an extremely juicy contract with a take it or leave it time period for signing. In comparison Ferguson and ManU did not beat around the bush with Roy Keane . They have excellent players in all other positions and admittedly he was a fading force, but Keane was just as much a talisman as Pocock. Their approach was the ruthless one needed, a player,no matter how gifted, cannot hold the club to ransom either with wage/KPI demands or prevarication.