Rugby: Returning Elsom adds extra weight to game plan

Rocky Elsom is like Jerry Collins in his All Black heyday, except better. Photo / Getty Images

While Robbie Deans' signature was considered a coaching coup in Australia, rugby officials gave themselves a collective embrace when Rocky Elsom came home.

The blindside flanker is a big unit and a large part of the Wallaby plans heading into the next World Cup.

Elsom left last season and won all sorts of awards with Leinster in competitions in Europe but has brought his impressive 1.97m, 112kg frame back to the Wallaby colours. A knee injury derailed his introduction but in the past few tests, Elsom has started to reproduce his class.

He delivers the sort of abrasive sting Jerry Collins did in his All Black heyday, but he has even more game. He is a strong lineout target and brings a running game which mixes subtlety and power.

His teammates have lifted their game this year but they still look at Elsom as some sort of talisman, a lightning rod for their performance. He, like Deans, is working on the side's self-belief, their ability to beat the All Blacks and produce consistent performances.

They have had their chances. The Wallabies have been in front in the last four tests when they have headed to the sheds for their halftime chat but they have lost the lot.

"I think over the years the All Blacks have been pretty good at getting away with games," Elsom said quietly.

"If you look at some of the matches they've had in the Tri-Nations over the years, particularly in South Africa, they have been able to hold them out and just get away with it.

"It's often very small things and we know that because we've come close, but not been able to finish it off."

The 40-test veteran thinks and hopes the Wallabies learned some of those lessons when they surged past the Springboks late in Brisbane to win 21-6. Now the question is whether they can back up tonight against the All Blacks in Wellington.

"The ability to keep at it, keep working and not have any lapses was a real positive out of that match," he said of Brisbane.

"But it's going to be a new challenge against New Zealand and they've got a point to prove."

ALL BLACKS v WALLABIES:

Where and when: Wellington, 7.35 tonight, Live Sky Sport 1
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TV official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

NEW ZEALAND

Coach: Graham Henry

Mils Muliaina
AGE: 29, 1.84m, 92kg, TESTS: 76, Waikato
Cory Jane
26, 1.83m, 88kg, 7, Wellington
Isaia Toeava
23, 1.81m, 92kg, 25, Auckland
Ma'a Nonu
27, 1.8om, 104kg, 41, Wellington
Joe Rokocoko
26, 1.89m, 98kg, 59, Auckland
Daniel Carter
27, 1.79, 91kg, 61, Canterbury
Jimmy Cowan
27, 1.83m, 92kg, 26, Southland
Kieran Read
23, 1.93m, 105kg, 11, Canterbury
Richie McCaw (c)
28, 1.87m, 106kg, 75, Canterbury
Adam Thomson
27, 1.96m, 112kg, 11, Otago
Tom Donnelly
27, 2m, 113kg, 0, Otago
Brad Thorn
34, 1.95m, 113kg, 32, Canterbury
Neemia Tialata
27, 1.87m, 127kg, 36, Wellington
Andrew Hore
30, 1.83m, 111kg, 42, Taranaki
Tony Woodcock
28, 1.84m, 118kg, 57, N Harbour

Reserves
Aled de Malmanche
25, 1.85m, 112kg, 1, Waikato
John Afoa
25, 1.83m, 120kg, 19, Auckland
Jason Eaton
27, 2.02m, 107kg, 12, Taranaki
Rodney So'oialo
29, 1.90m, 107kg, 59, Wellington
Brendon Leonard
24, 1.82m, 91kg, 11, Waikato
Stephen Donald
25, 1.86m, 96kg, 16, Waikato
Hosea Gear
25, 1.89m, 100kg, 1, Wellington

AUSTRALIA

Coach: Robbie Deans

James O'Connor
AGE: 19, 1.80m, 80kg, TESTS: 9, Force
Lachie Turner
22, 1.89m, 88kg, 10, Waratahs
Adam Ashley-Cooper
25, 1.82m, 98kg, 31, Brumbies
Berrick Barnes
23, 1.83, 87kg, 18, Waratahs
Drew Mitchell
22, 1.85, 95kg, 36, Waratahs
Matt Giteau
26, 1.78, 85kg, 72, Brumbies
Will Genia
21, 1.82, 85kg, 5, Reds
George Smith (c)
29, 1.80m, 103kg, 104, Brumbies
David Pocock
21, 1.81m, 101kg, 10, Force
Rocky Elsom
26, 1.97m, 106kg, 43, Brumbies
Mark Chisholm
27, 1.97m, 112kg, 42, Brumbies
James Horwill
24, 2m, 115kg, 18, Reds
Ben Alexander
25, 1.89m, 117kg, 12, Brumbies
Tatafu Polota-Nau
24, 1.81m, 113kg, 14, Waratahs
Benn Robinson
25, 1.83m, 113kg, 25, Waratahs

Reserves
Stephen Moore
26, 1.86m, 112kg, 40, Brumbies
Pek Cowan
23, 1.85, 116kg, 2, Force
Dean Mumm
25, 1.96m, 109kg, 16, Waratahs
Wycliff Palu
27, 1.94, 120kg, 28, Waratahs
Luke Burgess
26, 1.79m, 89kg, Waratahs
Quade Cooper
21, 1.86m, 92.5kg, 6, Reds
Peter Hynes
27, 1.80m, 92kg, 18, Reds