Australia will try to gain some valuable pointers for the future when they face a star-studded Barbarians team at Twickenham today.
The Wallabies may have won this year’s Tri-Nations, but a World Cup where they were well beaten in the semi-finals by eventual champions New Zealand, having already lost in the group phase to Ireland, took much of the shine off.
Australia coach Robbie Deans is using the match against the Barbarians, which is not a full international, to give outstanding back-row forward David Pocock a first chance to captain the Wallabies.
Pocock takes over from regular captain James Horwill, who is on the bench ahead of next week’s Test against Wales — the team Australia beat to finish third at the World Cup.
“It’s not new territory for him,” Deans said of his decision to make Pocock captain.
“He has been driving the group to an extent and we thought it was a great opportunity to give him real experience,” Deans said.
The 23-year-old Pocock said the honor of leading Australia would not change his approach to the game.
“You have just got to lead a lot more by your actions, rather than inspire everybody by delivering a good speech or whatever,” Pocock said.
Former New Zealand international Deans has also moved James O’Connor in from the wing to flyhalf in place of Quade Cooper, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the playoff win over Wales.
Deans could have installed the versatile Berrick Barnes, much praised after taking over as the main playmaker against Wales in Auckland, New Zealand, following Cooper’s injury, in the No. 10 shirt.
“We had the choice of Berrick or James and we opted to put James straight in the deep end so to speak by putting him at 10,” Deans said. “He has worked at it this week and last week, and his head has been spinning on occasions it would be fair to say because it is very different to playing on the end of the chain.”
The Barbarians, rugby union’s most famous invitational team, whose matches are generally known for witnessing more attacking rugby from both sides than a standard Test match, have turned what was threatening to become a lopsided end of year fixture into a genuine contest.
Last season, they defeated then-world champions South Africa at Twickenham, having defeated New Zealand in 2009.
This year they will be coached by New Zealand World Cup winning supremo Graham Henry, with the starting side featuring several of his victorious All Blacks, including forwards Jerome Kaino and Keven Mealamu.
South Africa great Victor Matfield captains the side and pairs up in the second row with England’s Simon Shaw.
The Barbarians back division features England discard Danny Cipriani, now playing club rugby for the Melbourne Rebels, and Springbok wing Bryan Habana.
Traditionally, the Barbarians include at least one uncapped player, but as well as selecting Crusaders center Robbie Fruean, this year they have gone one better by picking England Rugby League international Sam Tomkins, who on Saturday will be playing his first game in the 15-man code.
A scheduling quirk means Tomkins will be facing the Wallabies just a week after playing for England in their Four Nations rugby league final loss to Australia’s Kangaroos.
“Playing them both in eight days is something strange for me,” Tomkins said. “I have massive respect for rugby union, as well as rugby league.”
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