Brumbies fullback aiming for Wallaby spot against British and Irish Lions

JESSE Mogg has declared himself ready to take on the British & Irish Lions despite the reservations of his Brumbies coach Jake White.

Jesse Mogg

JESSE Mogg has declared himself ready to take on the British & Irish Lions despite the reservations of his Brumbies coach Jake White.

But the flying fullback won't be deviating from the Brumbies' game plan in order to seek individual honours.

Mogg is a strong contender for one of the final six Wallabies spots to be named on June 11, after eye-catching performances against the Blues last weekend and the Waratahs the previous week.

But Wallabies selectors want to see different aspects to his game, which don't fit into White's plans, much the same as Quade Cooper at the Reds under Ewen McKenzie.

"You can't play a particular way someone wants you to play if it doesn't suit the team," Mogg said.

"We've spoken a lot about our team in house, and the culture we've set.

"We don't have a lot of big individuals, we really pride ourselves on the friendships we've built and the team camaraderie we've set at the Brumbies.

"We don't have any big- heads in our team. The big thing is, we're playing for our team, individual goals that come out of that is solely based on how we play for the Brumbies.

"We've got five guys in that Wallabies squad, hopefully we can get a couple more."

Eyebrows were raised when White indicated he was pleased that Mogg missed out on selection in the Wallabies' top 25 announced last Sunday week, because he wasn't ready.

But Mogg said: "We had a chat, and Jake basically said he didn't want me to play just one Test, he wanted me to play 50, or 100 Tests. I don't totally disagree with Jake. I don't want to be a one-Test player.

"I have aspirations of playing for the Wallabies, I was fairly disappointed to miss out (on the top 25), I will be aiming for one of the final six spots."

Mogg accepts that White's patient approach could serve him best.

"One day I would hope to get there, I would rather sooner than later, but if it takes another 12 months, or 24 months to get there, that's fine," he said.

"I want to play a number of Tests and try to find my niche in the Wallabies team."

Israel Folau, Joe Tomane, Digby Ioane and Berrick Barnes were preferred as the outside back contenders by Wallabies coach Robbie Deans, but Mogg has returned to the form that saw him invited to Wallaby camps this year and last.

"It has been a fast rise for me, but the biggest difference between this year and last year is that last year I was afraid of making mistakes," Mogg said.

"This year I back my ability, and I am confident that whatever I do, the team will follow."

Mogg had a mid-season slump due to a shoulder injury suffered in South Africa, and Dan Carter's majestic boot limiting his opportunities against the Crusaders.

Mogg plans to send Deans another timely reminder against the Hurricanes on Friday night at Canberra Stadium.

"I have been quite happy with my form this year," Mogg said. "I thought I did well against the Waratahs and the Blues. The Hurricanes are very similar to the Blues in the way they attack and defend."