Pocock's time
Greg Growden calls on Wallabies flanker David Pocock to strangle the Springboks at the breakdown in The Sydney Morning Herald.
"David Pocock's Test initiation is over, with the Wallabies calling on their openside breakaway to be a Tri Nations match winner by strangling the Springboks at the breakdown during the Test in Brisbane on Saturday night. "The message from the Wallabies camp yesterday was that this was the season for Pocock to step up and be as authoritative as his predecessor George Smith by taking advantage of a shaky opposition, which has been criticised this week for messing up the balance of its back row. "As Pocock is the only specialist openside breakaway on the field, and with the Springboks so obsessed with how they are being persecuted by northern hemisphere referees at the breakdown, the Wallabies know that the scavenging skills of their 22-year-old could destabilise the South Africans for the third week running. They realise that this could be the moment where Pocock, in his third Test season and 11th starting Test, arrives as a top-quality international back-rower."