Rugby: Wallabies leaders cut from different cloth

New Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - They both hail from Queensland and each dabbled in rugby league, but new Wallabies leaders Rocky Elsom and Berrick Barnes are cut from very different types of cloth.

Flanker Elsom was last week appointed captain of the Wallabies for their upcoming Spring Tour, with inside back Barnes chosen as his deputy.

Elsom is neither taciturn nor rude when fielding journalist questions, but the laconic forward will never use 30 words if ten will suffice.

Conversely, Barnes is more of an amiable chatterbox.

Elsom, 26, was educated at Brisbane's Nudgee College from where he represented the Australian Schoolboys before signing a two-year contract with the Bulldogs in the NRL before returning to rugby for the 2003 season.

He spent six seasons with NSW before heading to Ireland for a successful stint with Leinster, who won European Rugby's biggest prize the Heineken Cup.

While Elsom has now opted to play with the Brumbies, Barnes has moved from the Reds to the Waratahs.

After one year with the Brisbane Broncos where he played nine first grade games, the former Ipswich Grammar student switched to rugby and has become and increasingly influential playmaker in the Queensland and Australian teams.

"We are both from a similar schoolboy system in Queensland, we both came over to the dark side (NSW) down here," Barnes said.

"There's some similarities, obviously, but we are two pretty different people as well, so, hopefully, we can combine our personalities.

"I won't even and try and change who I am or do any more talking than I usually do, I'd sound stupid otherwise."

At 23, Barnes is emerging as a senior figure in an increasingly youthful Wallabies back line.

Just a couple of years after breaking in to the Wallabies squad, Barnes will now be responsible for shepherding a smattering of emerging young backs including three uncapped 20-year-olds Rob Horne, Kurtley Beale and Richard Kingi plus teenager James O'Connor and 21-year-old halves Will Genia and Quade Cooper.

"It's scary, I'll start thinking I'm a bit older," Barnes joked.

"Two years ago, I was 21 and I was the youngest by a couple of years, so things have changed a lot.

"James O'Connor coming in at 18 was an amazing achievement. Quade (Cooper) has grown massively in the last six months, on and off the field and it's a credit to him and there's a number of young guys getting another opportunity."

For his part, Elsom was under no illusion about the challenge awaiting his squad who will play New Zealand in Tokyo before embarking on the first Australian Grand Slam tour of the United Kingdom in 25 years.

- AAP