Australia are concerned about the fitness of David Pocock for Saturday’s encounter with England because of a neck injury he sustained over the weekend. The Wallabies’ influential back-row was unable to train on Monday and his chances of featuring at Twickenham remain in doubt – even if Eddie Jones says he has heard it all before.
Pocock’s absence would be a significant blow for Australia, who overcame Italy 26-7 last Saturday but are nearing the end of a trying year in which they have won only four of their 12 matches. The 30-year-old has enjoyed success against England in the past – he was an outstanding performer in their 2015 World Cup triumph at Twickenham – but the scrum-half Will Genia confirmed on Monday he is “pretty busted”.
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Neck injuries are seemingly an occupational hazard for Pocock, who sustained a similar problem against the All Blacks in August. That he was unable to play against South Africa two weeks later suggests he is up against it to make the seven-day turnaround but Australia will decide in the coming days whether he will face England.
Jones, however, says he is paying little attention to the news. “We’re not even thinking about it. I hear this every time we play Australia – Pocock’s not going to be fit – so when I heard it I thought: ‘Here we go again,’” the England coach said. “You know those merry-go-rounds? It’s a bit like that.”
With or without Pocock, the Wallabies will seek to end a run of five straight losses to England, the most recent of which came at Twickenham a year ago when Jones’s side triumphed 30-6 in a match far closer than the scoreline suggests. Owen Farrell was extra-effective that day, not least in convincing the referee, Ben O’Keeffe, to disallow Marika Koroibete’s second-half try when Australia trailed by seven points.
Farrell’s second-half performance against Japan on Saturday, when he came off the bench to steer England from a five-point deficit to 35-15 winners, has also not gone unnoticed by the Wallabies. “He’s a world-class player and that’s what you expect from someone like him,” said Genia, who is in line for his 100th cap on Saturday.
“He influences the game with his touches. He’s pretty aggressive, he’s in your face and likes getting stuck in. He’s very physical – he can put a hit in – but he also manages the game really well. England will bring lots of physicality. That is a huge strength of theirs, they know their strengths and they play a winning brand of rugby. That’s something I’ve seen since [Eddie] has been involved.”
Jones repaid the compliment, revealing the role he played in Genia’s development when he coached the Reds. “I remember this fat little bloke in the academy and they said he doesn’t work hard enough,” said Jones, who gave Genia his Super Rugby debut in 2007.
“I remember a meeting with his dad [Kilroy], who was [a cabinet] minister for Papua New Guinea. I had a chat about what he needed to do and I never saw a boy work as hard as him. We didn’t train Thursdays in those days but Will would always come up with a bag of balls and practise his box-kicking. It’s a real tribute to him where he has got to and what a great player he has been for Australia.”