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Slated to miss six to eight weeks, Pocock is a big loss for coach Michael Cheika and his line up as they chase the wind, looking to regroup and bounce back in the three-Test series.
More of the wash-up from Wallabies vs England
» SPIRO: Can the Wallabies win at Melbourne?
» Moore can take a leaf out of Smith’s book
» Five talking points
» Match report: Eddie’s England too good
» DIY player ratings
» Roar Forum – what changes should the Wallabies make?
» Watch the full highlights
After the speculation and announcement of the injury, talk has quickly turned to who will replace the Zimbabwean-born Pocock at Number 8?
Not a traditional Number 8, Pocock has made the role his own in the Wallaby jumper, opening up a new standard of what size and style of play a man at the back of the scrum can be.
While nothing has been announced in terms of replacements or the final XV for the second Test, Cheika has displayed his ever present cool and calm demeanor in the face of this set back.
“There’s options there that have experience in the frontline,” Cheika said of the vacant Number 8 spot, “we’re fortunate there, but at the same time disappointed to lose a player of David’s quality, the skills he brings to the game and that dynamic we have in the back-row.”
Despite all this, until Cheika comes out and tells us who’ll be coming in, all we can do is speculate.
So let’s speculate.
Here are some of the players that could be lining up at Number 8 for the second Test.
Wycliff Palu
The oldest player that will be appearing on this list, big boppa Wycliff Palu is approaching veteran status in Australian rugby, having made his Wallabies debut a decade ago.
Palu has found himself stuck on the outside looking in since his last international cap at the World Cup, when he sensationally announced that he had little commitment to playing for his country again following his tournament ending injury during the Pool stages.
At this stage of his career, Palu is an outside chance at the position, with younger men lining up for a shot at the green and gold. However, his experience and size in the line out and ruck could give him the edge.
Since Michael Cheika has taken charge, he has preferred to play smaller, more mobile men as on the ball players, leaving Palu stranded as another big man in a changing rugby landscape.
Ben McCalman
In the same boat as the aforementioned Palu, Ben McCalman has the size that throws back to the traditional forward pack set up.
The Dubbo-born Western Force forward has racked up 47 Wallaby caps since his first in 2010, flying under the radar somewhat as a consistent, no nonsense, ‘gets the job done’ kind of player.
McCalman was thought to be one of the more surprising exclusions from the Cheika’s initial squad for the series, with enough utility variety and flexibility to fit into the side somewhere.
With Cheika already planting seeds of doubt in his own mind about the style of Number 8 he wants to bring in, McCalman stands as a big chance to take the Pocock vacancy, if, the coach wants a genuine Number 8 holding the back of the scrum.
Sean McMahon
Now, onto the flankers.
McMahon did play on Saturday, coming off the reserves bench late in the game, making a pretty standard contribution as the Wallabies descended into desperation catch up rugby.
The Melbourne Rebels forward enjoyed a fruitful time in the green and gold at last year’s World Cup, and has carried some good form through parts of the Super Rugby season. However, the 21-year-old is basically a specialist flanker, having next to no experience at Number 8 and an absent presence in the line out.
Again, a lot will come down to the combinations Cheika wants to play for the Test in Melbourne, McMahon’s adopted home ground, and he could be the right fit depending on the role the coach wants compared to that of Hooper and Fardy at 6 and 7.
Liam Gill
Being name dropped by Cheika as an “almost like-for-like” possible replacement for Pocock, certainly doesn’t hurt your chances.
Liam Gill has been one of, if not the, best players for a struggling Reds side this year in Super Rugby, cementing his status as one of the top flankers in Australia.
The 24-year old could find himself on the wrong side of the coach’s plans though, as he heads over to France at the end of the current season to ply his trade for Toulon, against the recommendation of Cheika who believed Gill to be a long term Wallaby player.
Falling a long way shy of the 60 Test cap for overseas players to be eligible for selection, Gill is on his last legs to play for Australia before heading to Europe, and that lack of long term availability could hurt his chances in a position that he’s already unfamiliar with.
Final thoughts
Michael Cheika is keeping his cards close to his chest, and who wouldn’t with the presence of Eddie Jones around, but that could be more of a sign of doubt than anything else.
After a disappointing loss and a scrappy performance in the first Test, the Wallabies have found themselves behind the eight ball.
Cheika is coming across more inclined to change his line-up, strategy, formation and general style of play against the English for the second Test, to try and bounce back and get the edge over the Red Roses.
Gill and McMahon are real possibilities for the spot, but their lack of experience at Number 8 and the likeliness of a more traditional, larger, pack set up hurts their chances for mine.
I won’t be disappointed if Wycliff Palu is given the nod to replace Pocock, the experienced head of Palu could do wonders for a forward pack that were lost at sea in the line outs on Saturday and struggled to find their feet at the break down.
However, my money is on McCalman.
I think Cheika will go for the specialist Number 8 over the much talked about interchangeable flankers. It adds that extra layer of expertise and structure to the 15 and solidifies the pack at lineout and scrum time.
McCalman is playing well in Super Rugby, he’s still young with plenty of growing ahead of him, and this could be his chance to earn a full time spot in the Wallabies picture.
At the end of the day, whoever gets picked I’m sure will do the job, Cheika isn’t the kind of coach to select players half heartedly, and the return of Pocock will be keenly awaited by rugby fans around Australia.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.