Wallabies captain Michael Hooper is confident that David Pocock will be in action at the World Cup but said it might not guarantee a “Pooper” reunion.
When the pair were both fit in 2018, they started alongside each other in the back row, a combination that has been relatively stable since 2015.
Pocock is throwing everything at a World Cup return after ruling out a Super Rugby comeback as he battles a rare calf injury.
While Pocock couldn’t guarantee that he would be ready to go by the World Cup given the nature of the injury, Hooper said he was confident his ACT counterpart would be ready to go.
“I think he'll be there,” he said.
“Seeing him in the last camp - one thing about Dave, aside from this calf he keeps himself in amazing condition throughout and that's hard to do when one of the main things to run with isn't functioning.
“I'm betting that he'll be there, I think they're pretty low odds.”
Already ruled out of Super Rugby, Pocock will have a maximum of five Tests under his belt before the World Cup kicks off after months on the sideline.
Hooper said that wouldn't matter for Pocock, who is renowned for his focus when it comes to fitness.
“Like we saw last year, being out for a while and then comes back in and can just pull together an amazing performance off the back of not much rugby,” he said.
“What he does, his skill set's so quality and he's so defined in what he does on the field, he's able to come in and make immediate impact.”
Whether it means the reunion of the “Pooper” combination, though remains to be seen with the competition for back row spots getting tighter in 2018.
A number of players have put their hands up for a blindside flanker spot while Isi Naisarani has been impressive at no. 8 as well, leaving the Wallabies with somewhat of a dilemma.
Hooper said while the “Pooper” had been successful in the 2015 Rugby World Cup especially, there was merit in looking into other options as well.
“I think that certainly that combination has some really good value on the field and then,” he said.
“(There's) potential for other combinations I think certainly. We've got to be agile in the way we go about playing and the different teams we're playing.
"I have full confidence that Poey will be there.
“It's a huge sacrifice he's making to get there, so I've got every confidence that he will be playing great rugby like he always does.”
The Wallabies play their first 2019 Test on July 20 against the Springboks in Johannesburg, two months out from their World Cup opener in Sapporo against Fiji.
