Rugby
Pocock in doubt for Eng Test
2012-11-13 10:13
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Check out a video JP Pietersen yellow carded after nailing Chris Henry with a no-arm tackle in the game between the Springboks and Ireland.
London - David Pocock sat out Wallabies' training in London on Monday and
remains in doubt for this weekend's clash with England after having
scans on a calf muscle.
Pocock attended training on Monday afternoon but was only a
spectator along with fullback Mike Harris, who has a minor leg injury.
Brumbies' recruit Pocock was expected to make his
long-awaited return from injury at Twickenham on Saturday
but this latest setback has the No 7 in serious doubt.
Robbie Deans' side has never needed Pocock more after they were trounced 33-6 in their European tour opener against France.
Pocock hasn't played since suffering a knee injury in the opening Bledisloe Cup game against the All Blacks in August.
It's unlikely the Wallabies would take any risks with
Pocock, who was resigned to stretching while the squad trained on a
rainy London day.
With Harris staying under cover, Berrick Barnes ran at fullback as the backline worked on some set moves.
Barnes, who made his return off the bench against France, is expected to start against England.
The tour has the potential to turn into a nightmare for the
Wallabies as they head to Twickenham to face a confident England side
who are chasing a third straight Cook Cup win over Australia.
New coach Stuart Lancaster's side ran in seven tries as they
destroyed Fiji 54-12 and Wallabies hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau knows they
will be gunning for the Australians.
Polota-Nau says stopping England's offloads will be one of the keys to winning the game.
"The French did very well in that aspect last week and we
need to stop it from happening at Twickenham. I'm sure it's something
they'll be looking to exploit, so the pressure is on us to be better in
the contact area," Polota-Nau said.
"Obviously we didn't start the tour well but now we just want to make sure we finish off well, starting with England.
"It's going to be a big challenge for us, particularly in
the forwards, their scrums and lineouts are the keys to how they get
their attacking platforms.
"We need to dominate them in the scrum and really pressure them in defence to give ourselves a chance."