Wallabies v Ireland: David Pocock makes huge impact on Test return

David Pocock made a huge impact on his return to the Wallabies side.

David Pocock in the pool at Brisbane’s national cricket centre for the Wallabies’ recovery session yesterday. Picture: Rugby.com.au/Stuart Walmsley

There was only one thing about David Pocock that looked tired and worn out on Saturday night, the Velcro on his headgear. Otherwise, the player who had suspended Wallabies duties for 18 months while he explored the world and himself looked better than ever in Test football.

But the Velcro was annoying. He kept losing his headgear and every time there was an injury stoppage, he was forced to jog the 50m or so to retrieve it from wherever it had fallen. In a word, it was becoming tiresome.

After the match, however, as he was signing autographs, a woman approached him bearing a headgear he had signed for her back in 2016. He suddenly realised the headgear he had given away was in far better condition than the one he had just worn against the Six Nations champions. So, with her permission, he swapped.

“I’ll definitely wear that headgear in Melbourne,” the Australian flanker said. “I’ve only got a couple and I try to get the most life out of them. It’s not sentimental. It’s practical.”

Headgear aside, Pocock looked like he had performed an entire makeover of his game. In many respects, he turned on a display at the breakdowns that defied belief, or at least gravity. He would take up position over the ball, brace his legs like a giraffe drinking and then simply defy the Irish clean-outs as he foraged for the ball.

So far was he able to stretch while physically contorted — his core muscle would make a Pilates instructor drool — that referee Marius van der Westhuizen refused to believe his own eyes and penalised him a couple of times for not supporting his own bodyweight. Which was annoying, but somehow understandable.

His stats read 12 tackles, four turnovers and the matchwinning try but, impressive as they are, they do not convey the sheer presence Pocock exerted out on the field. Irish coach Joe Schmidt gave some indication of his value when he observed that his side did not use the ball well.

“There was a lot of pressure at the ruck,” Schmidt said. “Pocock put a lot of pressure on but he ­always makes a big difference to a team.”

When Pocock is burrowing in for a turnover, teams feel pressured to get the ball as far away from him as possible and even the great halfback Conor Murray may have knocked-on at the ruck base in his attempt to clear possession.

Pocock is an effective tackler more than a big-hit specialist but the power he put into his defensive game certainly meant he played his part in delivering the physical game that coach Michael Cheika demanded. He may have left it to the likes of lock Adam Coleman or winger Marika Koroibete to deliver the sledgehammer blows but he was well aware of the importance of being physically dominant.

“It’s something that’s crucial at this level,” Pocock said. “Test matches are physical and games are often won and lost there. Ireland are a big side and they were also very physical and I’m sure game two is going to be the same.”

His sabbatical — not a term he prefers — ensured he was out of Test rugby from the England Test of December 3, 2016 through to June 9, 2018, during which period he had two birthdays, and ­returned to international competition at the age of 30. But while there were times when he did not give the Wallabies too much thought, he never lost either the will to play for them or the belief.

“You think about what an ­incredible job it is to represent Australia and as an immigrant, I am so grateful to have had the ­opportunities that I’ve had to be able to pull on the green and gold and represent Australia and get out there and do your best. Knowing that you’re also representing so many people in Zimbabwe who’ve been part of the journey. It’s a huge honour,” Pocock said.

Never did he question whether he still had that astonishing ability to turn a game for his adopted country.

“It’s one of those things you don’t think too much about, that. You’ve just got to back yourself and if you’re doing all your prep, the physical and the mental stuff, you’ll get back to your best and as a rugby player you always want to be pushing the boundaries of what you are capable of.”

Certainly his teammates never questioned his ability.

“I think the quality of Dave … a player like that never loses his touch for the game, never loses anything,” said Kurtley Beale. “The way he has been playing this year with the Brumbs, you can see evidence of his genius each week and it’s great to see him back in the gold jersey consistently doing that throughout the game. To have him and Michael (Hooper) there in the backrow, it’s great as a group to follow those guys ­because they always lead by example and wear their heart on their sleeve.”