It's official: David Pocock to retire from Super Rugby

Trumpism...

Yep the 2011 QF, followed by a number of performances against Wales where Australia maintained their unbeaten streak despite having absolutely no right winning. For all the discussion over the years between Pocock and Hooper's various skill sets, the biggest point is that Hooper has never singlehandedly won a game for the Wallabies in the way that Pocock has on numerous occasions.

Perception shapes memories again. Unless you have actual stats to back up your accusation. And yes, we can all remember him being neck rolled, as many other players have been rolled from all countries. Pococks are particularly noticeable as he is a high profile one man band. I did say he was a great player, but Markus was saying he couldn’t remember a card since 2015, I could. My perception is not that he was a dirty player at all, I think he was a great player. As I state. I realise that people aren’t angels or demons, one or the other, but are a mix and I accept them for that.

Geoff, I tend to differ. I can remember from 18 years ago disagreeing with a Wallaby selection. But either I’m getting way smarter or our selector is getting way sillier but I can never recall such a period of bitter selection controversies as in Cheika’s reign. And I do mean ‘reign’. There may have been worse selection logic but not in my living memory. Pocock at 7 Cooper (or someone like him) at 10. You know it makes sense.

Yes Paulo ‘it’s just interesting how perception shapes our memory’, and yours here has cherry picked with a specific ‘perception’. I won’t honour your tit with a tat, except to say that Pocock has received many more neck rolls than he’s given. And one nation has been disproportionately generous.

Unless of course she initiated it or at the very least talked it over in a civilised manner and agreed to the course of action.

Hope springs eternal QED! Even with Cheika in charge.

Clearly his fiancée is a minority group then ElTroll

Gotcha!

I completely agree Fionn. Poey was exceptional and one of the greatest players to don the Wallabies jersey. I just feel it is way out of balance to reject a future David Pockock on his way up for less than a third of an experienced David Pockock to not play in an effort to preserve him for the World Cup. Will he really be the difference between winning and losing? Are we investing too much in a good show at World Cup at the expense of the longer term health of the sport.

Pocock is one of the most inspiring, let alone influential, Australian Rugby players in modern history and instead we got that homophobia defending hack in Hooper as Wallabies captain and subpar starting 7. In a generation when Rugby was swamped with shocking personalities like Beale and Folau, Pocock was someone who stood out as someone with outstanding character before you even got to his natural ability.

What a fantastic player and career. Well done Poey. Now to another unfortunate side of his career. Which is not Poeys doing. For some reason it was good value to pay Poey 1 million to have a year off. To which he played in Japan prior to returning to Oz anyway. Yet we had an open side who was constantly praised for man of the match performances, outplayed Hooper on many occasions. In the same year Pocock had a well earned year off RA couldn’t afford (correct me if wrong) 300k per year to keep Sean McMahon in Australia. And he was not even considering a return for the World Cup for this year. Injury aside. So for our 1 million we got a 2018 season and maybe a 2019 World Cup. Granted it wasn’t Poey’s fault he is injured. I think DHP and or Adam Coleman also came back injured from the Dumbarse Conditioning Camp. We also lost a world class number 7 to Japan. I don’t think we got good value for money. I like Brad Thorn’s coaching approach where he only wants proud, determined, committed players ( of which I think he inadvertently reinstated in the three exiles). I would like to see RA maybe run the numbers in a similar fashion.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; For nothing now can ever come to any good. W H Auden

Not only double teamed Don, but teams adjusting or creating tactics just to nullify his influence. In the top echelon of players of all time, for sure.

So the best we can say about Cheika is “oh well he’s not the worse we’ve ever had” .

Rotation policy ? Ahh Harry, you sweet child of summer. “ Winter is coming” and its name is Chieka

Yeah, like how some people keep thinking that Quade Cooper is out setting fire to orphanages every weekend, when in reality he hasn’t put a foot wrong in seven or eight years.

I doubt he would make himself available for the RWC if not fully fit anyway. Sadly for Pocock, but maybe a positive for the Wallabies, I reckon his injury could be a blessing in disguise in that Cheika won’t be able to select Pooper and perhaps be forced into a genuine 6 & 8. However, I also fear it opens the door for Cheika to play a worse version of dual open sides in Hooper with Peter Samu… I think the greatest indicator of how highly regarded he was by other sides was how he was consistently targeted by double teaming him.

Well Cheika has never lost to Tonga for a start... And I'm pretty sure Greg Smith would rank lower. It's the 'recency' effect Fionn. Where people think whatever happened today must be the 'best ever' or 'worst ever'.

Your tongue may be in the wrong receptacle as I dont don’t recall him discriminating against anyone other than his fiancee, by refusing to marry her until same sex couples could do the same. Slightly different to condemning her to hell unless she repent, ElDumbass.