George Gregan, just two appearances away from becoming rugby’s most capped international player, on Monday restated his commitment to lead the Wallabies at next year’s World Cup in France.
The 33-year-old scrum-half general goes into the domestic international season next month on 118 Test caps — just one behind England prop forward Jason Leonard’s record of 119 Tests.
Gregan is expected to overtake Leonard should he play in Australia’s two internationals against England in Sydney on June 11 and Melbourne on June 17.
Gregan was Monday announced skipper of a 33-man Wallabies’ squad, which includes nine Test newcomers, for nine Tests over the next three months.
ACT Brumbies Gene Fairbanks and Guy Shepherdson join NSW Waratahs Sam Norton-Knight, Wycliff Palu and Benn Robinson, Queensland Reds’ Rodney Blake and Josh Valentine and Western Force pair Tai McIsaac and Cameron Shepherd as the nine rookies.
The Wallabies are coming off a horror 2005 season when they lost eight of their last nine internationals putting Gregan’s Test career in doubt.
But with John Connolly replacing Eddie Jones as Wallabies’ coach leading into the new campaign, Gregan said he has a new zest for the international arena and was looking ahead to press on to next year’s World Cup.
”When I re-signed [for two more years] I said I would take it year by year and that hasn’t changed, it’s just that each year that goes past I’m just closer to it [retiring],” Gregan told reporters at the Wallabies’ season launch here on Thursday.
”We’ve got a big international campaign this year and then I will re-assess it again, but I’m feeling in a really good physical and mental state, so I’m looking forward to it.
”I’m committed to playing on [to the World Cup], but I never get too far ahead, I’m not so silly as to do that.
”I’m committed and I would love to play in it. But I know there’s a lot of rugby to be played and a lot of things that you can’t control between now and then.”
Gregan said he had discussed his playing role with new coach Connolly and was looking to make more of an impact, starting with England at Sydney’s Olympic stadium on June 11.
”The good thing about Knuckles [Connolly] is that he doesn’t talk about all the things you do well, he talks about the things you can improve on,” Gregan said.
”A running game was part of it [talk], but it’s not just the running game, there’s more to it than that, that was definitely part of it and I’m looking to have an impact in the game in that particular area because that’s the way the game’s going forward.
”Being able to adapt to that is very important and everyone has a role to play in the team.
”Every team is so good defensively these days, so you need variety in your attacking game and you need patience, so everyone has a part in that.
”It was a different game last year [under Jones], I wasn’t shackled but our focus was different and it didn’t revolve around that particular type of play, but in saying that it had some pretty good results as well.”
Connolly, who is expected to work on bolstering the Wallabies’ forward pack that was much criticised last year, said he had selected players in form from the recent Super 14 provincial series for his initial squad.
”You could suggest that we’ve picked a squad with a view to the future, but the supporters expect the national team to perform well in every Test and rightfully so,” Connolly said.
Connolly said the team would build towards its goal of winning the World Cup.
”Our focus is on making the little steps now. If we get the little steps right, then the big step will look after itself,” he said.
Centre Stirling Mortlock and lock Dan Vickerman were named as vice-captains under Gregan. – AFP