Rocky Elsom is back in the Wallaby jersey for the first time in 2009, the rugged blindside flanker adding a harder edge to the Australian pack for Saturday night’s Bledisloe test against the All Blacks in Sydney.
Elsom is one of three changes to the Wallabies lineup well beaten by the Boks in Cape Town a fortnight ago, with his fellow flanker George Smith also assuming the captaincy mantle vacated by Stirling Mortlock’s long-term injury.
Adam Ashley-Cooper moves from fullback to centre, which allows 19-year-old Western Force sensation James O’Connor to make his first start in a Bledisloe Cup test, after excelling at fullback when he came off the bench for the last 50 minutes in South Africa.
Elsom, who was a Heineken Cup winner with Leinster earlier this year, makes his comeback to Australian colours aftere finally overcoming the knee injury he brought back on his return to Australia.
Elsom’s reintroduction necessitates the third change, with Richard Brown being shifted from the side to the back of the scrum in place of the dropped Wycliff Palu.
Brown played his first eight tests as a No 8, before being switched to the side of the scrum for the opening two matches of the Tri-Nations to accommodate the return from injury of Palu.
Elsom returned to Australia with the Barbarians at the end of May, but was unable to play due to bruising in his knee which has kept the 26-year-old on the sideline since. He was player of the final in Leinster’s historic European Cup win over Leicester at the end of the northern winter
Saturday night will be his 41st test, but his first since the deciding game of last year’s Tri -ations in Brisbane.
“While he hasn’t been able to get a game in, Rocky has done the work to get back up to speed. We are satisfied that he is good to go,” Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said.
“It is a big ask of him to make his comeback in a Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations test, but that’s the reality of our schedule, and is the sort of challenge he thrives on.”
Deans said the decisions to relocate Brown to No 8, while moving Ashley-Cooper to centre, with O’Connor starting at fullback, were form-related choices.
The decision to start O’Connor was not considered a risk, said Deans, based on the way the Force tyro had performed in South Africa.
“He showed in Cape Town that he was quite capable of handling himself at this level,” said Deans.
“The pressure there, given the circumstance in which James entered the game [Australia was 10-20 down and had just lost skipper Mortlock to injury], was as great then as it could be, and he acquitted himself well.
Australia beat New Zealand 34-19 in the corresponding Bledisloe Cup clash last year in Sydney. Eleven of the starting XV from that night have been selected again although the team has an entirely new three-quarter line, as well as a different No 8.
Deans was confident Smith would have no problems assuming the captaincy, as he had three times previously under the New Zealand coach.
“George has filled the role before in similar circumstances and is not fazed by it,” he said.
“He’s been there before, and been successful. That level of experience is going to be crucial on Saturday night, especially when you look at the depth of experience [in the All Blacks] that will be coming back at us the other way.”
While Australia conceded just two tries during its away defeats to New Zealand (16-22) and South Africa (17-29) to open the competition, Deans said his men would have to “raise the bar” to square up this year’s Bledisloe series.
“We’ve come up short twice now, and we need to work harder and be more precise in what we do, both collectively and as individuals,” he said.
“Obviously discipline has been an area of concern. It is something we have addressed, but it is not the only aspect of our play that we have looked at. We need to be diligent in all aspects of our performance to give ourselves the best opportunity to get home.”
While the wallabies sit bottom of the Tri-Nations standings, they are the final team to have had a home game.
That changes in a big way over coming weeks, with Australia backing up on Bledisloe II with back-to-back home clashes against the ominous Springboks.
WALLABIES: 15 James O’Connor, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson. Reserves: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 David Pocock, 20 Will Genia, 21 Ryan Cross, 22 Peter Hynes.
Glo my uit ‘n man se perspektief is die huwelik ‘n meganisme om ‘n goeie verhouding met baie bier en naaktheid te verwoes 🙂
@Rugby_Princess – 😆 very apt!!!!
@SA Barbarians – precisely
@grootblousmile – Dankie tog!!! Anders sou ek skaars ‘n woord kon uitkry!! 🙂
34@SA Barbarians – Janee, my woordeskat sou ook aansienlik gekrimp het !
@Rugby_Princess – 🙂
Translation for 31 above:-
Marriage is an effective mechanism designed to spoil a sound relationship, which included loads of beer and nudity
26@Tripples –
o hel!! 😯
@SA Barbarians –
8 jaar
@Rugby_Princess –
ja, poor gbs!! 😆
Dagse almal.
Welkom Cosa, waar is jy?
Lekker om jou ook hier te sien, jy kan ons eie Xhosa-Kid wees hier op die nuwe blog 🙂
@Pietman – 38
Dagsê Pietman!! Hoe hang hulle vanoggend?
@SA Barbarians – think it is more the having of babies that causes that than marriage itself….
@Pietman – halloooo Oom!!!!
Excuse me for 15 minutes please….
@SA Barbarians –
Nee man, maar half slapperig vandag, dit smaak soos in Ashley se dorp hier onder die berg, moosa warm al weer.
Hoe was jou trip na die ou Transvaal toe?
En verder smaak dit my daai Gautengse sokkermanne het het julle stadion bietjie verniel in die Kaap….eishhh 🙁
@Tripples –
Marrag my tjint.
Waar vry jy rond vandag, gaan dit goed?
Dear fellow bloggers
I need your advice this morning
My girl friend suffers from a condition commonly known as verbal diarrhea, which peaks when she is provoked.
So in good faith, I invested in a remedy called lipstick.
It did not live up to what it’s name implied, and I am at my wits end.
Any suggestions?
@Pietman – goed goed, wag vir my pc om klaar updates te doen dan sal ek moet werk maar nou ja, dit gaan maar staaaaaaaaadig
@SA Barbarians – try listening!!!! hehehehehe and of course do NOT provoke!!!
@SA Barbarians – not lipstick!!! Dipstick11 👿
@Pietman – 43
Die kaap is nat en koud vandag en die res van die week – eish!
Die trippie Egoli toe was moer bedrywig maat baie vrugbaar dankie, Pieta. Ons het goeie besigheid gedoen daar en ek gaan my gat af werk die volgende maande om te deliver
@Tripples – toema..een van die dae gaan hulle krag aanlê Pta toe dan sal dinge ook vinniger gaan daar.
@K9-MonsterLeeu – Daai sonbrille ouens moet hier op die site kom adverteer, wat dink jy?
@AB – definitief. Lewensgroote advertensies.
@K9-MonsterLeeu – 🙂 I decided with hold my instinctive reponse to that one
@K9-MonsterLeeu – nee jong dis weer Helkom se skuld, lyne is stadig vandag
@K9-MonsterLeeu – Ek sal eenstuk swemdrag verkies.
either top or bottom…………
@SA Barbarians – net ‘n swemcap is vir my aanvaarbaar.
A pony walks into a bar and coughs, “Hey, COUGH. Gimme a bu COUGH a beer COUGH. The bartender serves him and says, “What’s with your voice?” The pony says, “Nothing, I’m just a little hoarse.”
@SA Barbarians –
@49 Mooi man, solank jy net besigheid gedoen het.
Man moet maar desdae skep waar jy kan, tye is taai, hier ook.
Dis hoekom ek ook maar so tussenin smous en ‘odd joppies’ doen.
@K9-MonsterLeeu – Ek ook.
Laat ek nooit ooit beskuldig word dat ek diskrimeneer tussen die komponente van die vroulike vorm nie 🙂
A few minutes before the church services started, the congregation was sitting in their pews and talking.
Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church.
Everyone started screaming and running for the back entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to
get away from evil incarnate. Soon the church was empty except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly
in his pew without moving, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God’s ultimate enemy was in his presence.
So Satan walked up to the man and said, ‘Do you know who I am?’
The man replied, ‘Yep, sure do.’
Aren’t you afraid of me?’ Satan asked.
‘Nope, sure ain’t.’ said the man.
Don’t you realize I can kill you with one word?’ asked Satan.
Don’t doubt it for a minute, ‘ returned the old man, in an even tone.
‘Did you know that I can cause you profound, horrifying agony for all eternity?’ persisted Satan.
Yep,’ was the calm reply.
‘And you’re still not afraid?’ asked Satan.
‘Nope,’ said the old man.
More than a little perturbed, Satan asked, ‘ Why aren’t you afraid of me?’
The man calmly replied, ‘Been married to your sister for 48
years!!!!
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