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.
86@Cosa – Hello Cosa,
Het jy toe met Boertjie en PietPloos gechat ??
@bdb – More Brok-die-Bul hehe
@bdb – 82
“Die Bulle is tans die toonaangewende span, hoekom sal jy nou wil gaan speel in ‘n ander span wat sukkel”
Bulls tans 4de op die CC log……. WP 3de
Punte verskil Bulls 32 teenoor WP se 83
gaaap……… 🙂
Tyd vir verder werk
Tot later vrinne
@SA Barbarians –
An economical option you might like to consider … assuming it is a possibility… If you can manage to make her call “Ooohhh Yeeesssss” this is genrally followed by a satisfied silence.
😉
@Cosa –
Hehehehe, janee, liewer nie, hou maar by jou huidige Cosa nick….
Jy was skaars die laaste tyd op die rugbywerwe?
Maar gaaf dat jy hier is nou, kan ons bietjie n slag weer rugby gesels.
@SA Barbarians – 93
Bulle – 2 S14 titels, 3 CC titels afgelope 5 jaar.
Wiepie – ????
93@SA Barbarians – CB word nie in Augustus gewen nie. 😉
@Pietman – 96
Ek het nog altyd net die 2 nicks gehad, Cosa en BlueGreenGold.
Ek is nie iemand wat rondspring nie, gebruik dieselfde soort sjampoo al 30 jaar!:lol:
@Cosa –
Nee, ek spot sommer oor XhosaKid, hy was n ‘wille blogger op die ander site’, veral as dit gegaan het oor rugby in die Oos-Kaap.
Ek hou ook maar my nick, al jare.
Baie ouens op Voldy het onder nuwe nicks teruggekom onmiddellik na n ban, maar ek het maar altyd my tyd afgewag…
@Rugby_Princess – LOL!!!!
That only worked for 30 minutes, and in during that time the neighbors’ complaints neutralised the effect
If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never say it’s not quite as good as his mother’s …. then adopt a dog.
If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour, for as long and wherever you want … then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn’t care about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies … then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores … then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn’t care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves you unconditionally, perpetually … then adopt a dog.
BUT, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness … then adopt a cat!
@Cosa – Is dit nou nodig om ‘n goeie chirp met stats te bederf? Is dit nou regtig nodig????? 🙂
@SA Barbarians –
Well you not doing it right then … 😆
@Rugby_Princess – What a relief that guys still make the cut!! 🙂
Muppits, we have had a mighty 9 838 comments on the Blog so far….
Not bad for a couple of weeks…
Who will get No 10 000 ???
@SA Barbarians –
Sounds strangely similar to a vasectomy … Of course they do we love you lot – imperfections & all 😀
Involuntary Muscular Contractions
A professor at the University of Sydney was giving a lecture on ‘Involuntary Muscular Contractions’ to his first year medical students. Realizing this was not the most riveting subject, the professor decided to lighten the mood. He pointed to a young woman in the front row and asked: “Do you know what your a*sehole is doing while you’re having an orgasm?” She replied “Probably playing Golf and drinking beer with his mates.” It took 16 minutes to restore order in the classroom.
@Rugby_Princess – 104
10.2.2 USERS undertake not to post content to the RUGBY-TALK web site that may be defamatory, untrue, incorrect or harmful to esteemed gentlemen’s reputations
🙂
@SA Barbarians –
Just as well you not an “esteemed gentlemen” then eh ?
Bet you a golfer though … 😆
Oohh my – you not a Professor teaching at Sydney University are you ? 😯
@Rugby_Princess – Seems there’s no damn privacy here.
Who the hell told you I play golf?
My golfing experience will never be the same again, EVER!!!
🙂
@Rugby_Princess – When I have regained my composure, remind me to tell you about the constipated maths professor
@SA Barbarians –
Worked it out with a pencil ?
@Rugby_Princess – Clever lady 🙂
Back to work for me.
Developing a customised project management methodology is a pain in the ass 🙁
A woman and a man are involved in a terrible car accident & both cars are demolished, but amazingly neither of them are hurt. After they crawl out of their cars, the man is yelling about women drivers. The woman says, ‘Look at this, my car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn’t break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune.’ She hands the bottle to the man. The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman. The woman takes the bottle, puts the cap back on and hands it back to the man. The man asks, ‘Aren’t you having any?’ The woman replies, ‘No. I think I’ll just wait for the police….’
MORAL OF THE STORY: Women are clever, evil b*tches. Don’t mess with us.
@SA Barbarians – 112
wat se jy van Woods se game Sondag, daar is die ou toe darem menslik.
@superBul – Ja, dis moontlik goed vir gholf
@Rugby_Princess – Sharon Stone?
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