POWERFUL POCOCK FITS RIGHT IN

ANY doubts about David Pocock’s reintegration into Michael Cheika’s Wallabies were torpedoed as the flanker put in a match-winning performance to snap Ireland’s 12-game unbeaten streak.

Australia waited 18 months to see Pocock back in their pack after the openside took a sabbatical in 2017.

He headed to Zimbabwe, laboured on a farm and undertook conservation work in the country of his birth. Despite the lay-off, there was no apprehension from Pocock about his ability to return to his Test best.

“It’s one of those things you don’t think too much about,” he said yesterday. “You just back yourself and know that if you are doing all your prep, the physical and mental stuff, you’ll get back to your best.

“I guess you think about what an incredible opportunity it is to represent Australia. As an immigrant, I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. To be able to pull on the green and gold is a huge honour and something I don’t take for granted.”

Pocock, who scored his side’s second try (left), now expects a backlash from the tourists in Melbourne this Saturday.

“We have to be better in the second game for sure,” he said. “It’s a huge challenge. I watched them through the Six Nations, they are a fantastic team and then obviously Leinster had a cracking season.”