Cape Town - Brumbies flank Chad Alcock is hoping to cement his place in the team's starting XV when he tries to fill the void left by Wallaby tearaway David Pocock.
Pocock is currently on a six-month break before playing in
Japan with Panasonic Wild Knights.
Alcock spent the early stages of his career as an understudy
to former Wallaby openside flank Phil Waugh at the Waratahs before moving to
the Force where he was used mostly as the back-up to Matt Hodgson.
But now he has a golden opportunity to cement his place in
the Brumbies' starting line-up and, in doing so, extending his stay at the
Canberra-based outfit beyond his current one-year deal.
"If the opportunity arises I'd definitely look at staying here but my understanding at this stage is I'm filling in for one year for Pocock," Alcock told the Canberra Times.
"All doors [are] open [in 2018]. It puts more of
emphasis to start on your best foot because you have nothing to fall back on,
so you've just got to put it all out there and hopefully be playing for a
contract.
"It is very much a fresh start for me, I've been put into an environment where I'm not really familiar with the coaches or the players, so I'm here trying to prove myself."