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Wallaby David Pocock’s rotten run of injuries took another turn last Saturday night against the Pumas in Perth when he broke his hand to rule him out of the rest of the Rugby Championship.
Pocock (28) was playing his 60th international, Michael Hooper (24) his 58th.
Yet Pocock debuted in 2008 – Hooper in 2012 off the bench when Pocock, as Wallaby captain, was rated one of the world’s best open-side flankers, having been twice nominated a finalist in the IRB International Player of the Year award in 2010 and 2011.
Hooper got his chance when Pocock suffered an early season reconstruction in 2012, and repeated the dose with his other knee in 2013
But there was more in store.
When Stephen Moore took over as Wallaby captain from Ben Mowen in 2014, Hooper was named co-vice captain with Adam Ashley-Cooper.
Moore’s captaincy lasted five minutes before he suffered a season-ending knee injury and Hooper became captain for the next 14 Tests.
So three knee reconstructions opened maximum doors for Hooper, and he made the most of it, which poses the question how would Hooper’s Wallaby career have panned out had it not been for Pocock, and Moore’s, injuries in that 2013-2014 period?
Very simply, Hooper would have either been a blind-side flanker, or a bench man, and never even a Wallaby vice-captain.
Such are the vagaries of sport.
So Hooper continues to wear jersey 7, but the “Pooper” exercise has been abruptly finished.
Which raises the next question, who will be the new Wallaby number eight for the remaining two games of the Rugby Championship at Loftus, and Twickenham?
Lopeti Timani made his debut off the bench against the Pumas.
He’s been my choice for the Wallabies new number eight for a number of reasons, even though he hasn’t played there for the Rebels, where Scott Higginbotham and Adam Thomson have denied him the chance.
But he has all the qualifications with a 193cm-125kg frame to add to his speed, and aggression.
It’s tragic David Pocock has had such a rotten run with injury, that also included a broken eye socket against England with next year looming as his sabbatical.
The Lopeti Timani suggestion already has legs, now the decision rests with Michael Cheika.