Wallabies changes likely but Pocock return date still a mystery

Michael Hooper indicated the Wallabies are likely to keep tinkering with their Test teams in the upcoming Bledisloe Cup contests but the Aussie skipper can’t shed light on whether David Pocock will play in the series.

Despite not having played for six months with a calf injury, Pocock has been travelling with the Wallabies since they went into camp in June.

There have been no fixed dates about when - or if - the champion flanker will return during the Rugby Championship, but unlike other weeks in the competition, Pocock was named in the Wallabies’ squad ahead of the Bledisloe Cup clashes in Perth and Auckland.

Reports that Pocock ran at full speed two weeks ago led to speculation the backrower could play club rugby, and then make a return for the Wallabies against the All Blacks.

But Hooper said while he was confident Pocock would be in good nick when he plays again, he could not specify when that might be.

"I don’t know as far as how his leg is tracking along,” Hooper said. 

"They’re going to do the right due diligence on that and get him back on the field as soon as possible and make sure it’s going to be a continual thing. 

"So I’m not sure when that is going to be but he looks in great shape. I’m sure when he does get back on the field he’ll kill it.”

There has been strong talk for a while that Pocock will not be risked during the Wallabies’ lead-up games and instead just picked at the World Cup if fit, given his track record of outstanding form when playing for the first time after a long lay-off.

The rest of the Wallabies’ line-up appears likely to be changed from the one who beat Argentina in Brisbane last start, however.

As with the 2015 Rugby Championship campaign - where Michael Cheika made six-plus changes to each starting XV - Hooper indicated the coach would continue to make alterations in the next month of action.

"We still have three games before our first (World Cup game) and a camp in there, so there is still a bit of change and adjustments we can make in the time,” Hooper said.

"I know in previous World Cup campaigns there has been change in these two fames, so we will see if that happens again.

"We will have discussions around (this week) and what we want to get out of this game, and build from this first test.”

How the balance of the back row looks after Pocock’s return shapes as a key question.

The addition of Isi Naisarani at no.8 has been successful, with the Melbourne Rebel not only a workhorse but a valuable addition as an extra “tall” at lineout time.

"I was really impressed with Isi’s game last week against Argentina,” Hooper said. 

"It was a pretty fiery initiation over there in Africa but the way he picked himself up last week and got through a lot of work in attack and defence really impressed. I enjoyed playing with him.”

Though it was superb at the 2015 World Cup, the price of “Pooper” combination is to effectively lose a lineout jumper.

Hooper said the selection panel would be be the ones to decide how the return of Pocock would work.

"Cheik’s come out and said there is going to be variations in the way the back row is set up this year and when he does get back on the field we’ll have a look at how that shapes up,” he said.