Rugby World Cup: Cheika mulls reuniting Pocock and Hooper

MICHAEL Cheika is remaining coy on the chances of reuniting David Pocock and Michael Hooper for the opening World Cup clash but injury may tip his hand.

A COY Michael Cheika said reuniting David Pocock and Michael Hooper is a “possibility” for the Wallabies’ opening World Cup clash next week but injury to Wycliff Palu has steered it more towards probable than possible.

Cheika revealed Palu, the big no. 8, was suffering from a strained hamstring and is likely to miss the Australian’s first pool A clash against Fiji in Cardiff on Thursday next week.

“Cliffy has had a bit of a hamstring, but he ran today which was good,” Cheika said on Wednesday morning.

“I would probably say he probably won’t be right for the first game but he should be right for the second game.”

Whether Palu would have been selected to start the first game is another question, however.

Cheika confirmed the Wallabies would field separate starting XVs against Fiji and Uruguay four days later, and it is expected the team picked to meet the Fijians will be Cheika’s strongest outfit, who’d go on to play England at Twickenham in their third clash.

Palu was under threat to wear the Wallabies no. 8 given Pocock was so strong in the role in Australia’s win over the All Blacks in Sydney last month.

The Brumbies’ flanker partnered up Michael Hooper that night but the pair didn’t unite again in New Zealand’s heavy win over the Wallabies a week later in Auckland, nor against the US last week.

Asked if he still had a resurrection of the dual openside pairing in mind for the World Cup, Cheika said: “It is still a possibility. It was successful on that night. We have had got a good idea of what we have for a while.”

The two Wallabies teams are yet to separate and begin training as different teams, said Cheika, but the split will occur shortly.

Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Cheika mulls reuniting Pocock and Hooper