Brumbies pick up Coast flier

SUNSHINE Coast speedster Tom Cox is on his way to the nation's capital to join the ACT Brumbies for the 2012 Super Rugby season.

Tom Cox. Picture: Mark Kolbe

SUNSHINE Coast speedster Tom Cox is on his way to the nation’s capital to join the ACT Brumbies for the 2012 Super Rugby season.

Cox, 22, was announced yesterday as one of the club’s new signings. The contract for the Maroochydore product comes on the back of a strong presence at a recent Brumbies training camp.

Cox scored the only try for the Stingrays in last year’s Premier Rugby grand final against University, which subsequently signed him for this year’s competition.

Wallabies legend and Brumbies backs coach Stephen Larkham said Cox’s raw talent and speed had caught the club’s eye.

“Tom Cox is a raw talent coming to us,” he said.

“He is out-and-out speed, having recently tested fasted in our 40-metre speed test with a time which would put him as one of the quickest men in Australian rugby.

“He is relatively new to rugby, but listens well and is keen to learn and has a huge potential in the game. Tom will predominantly play on the wing for us next year.”

Cox, a former Immanuel Lutheran College student, was one of the keys to Sunshine Coast’s remarkable Premier Rugby season last year.

HIS blistering speed and footwork got him tries in the state’s top competition and he was sounded out by University this year before the Brumbies came knocking.

Brumbies coach Jake White said Cox could be the link his side has been missing after a disappointing 2011.

“If you look at the stats, the Brumbies had one of the highest stats in line breaks,” he said.

“To get guys like Tom Cox, who are really quick, to come and play in our franchise is the way forward,” he said.

“The signings of these players is a massive step forward from where we were three or four weeks ago.”

Originally published as Brumbies pick up Coast flier