Beaten. Battered. Bruised. David Pocock resembled an extra from the TV series The Walking Dead after his team had been defeated in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final. Two black eyes, a blood-spattered face and sunken cheekbones revealed just how physically exacting this decider had been.
Australia were brave but ultimately beaten by a ruthless New Zealand side that moved up a gear when needed and took the game away from their trans-Tasman neighbours. It was a sad way to end what had been a fantastic tournament for Pocock and his band of Wallabies, reborn these past few weeks under the revitalising leadership of Michael Cheika.
“Really, really disappointed,” the 27-year old said. “A huge amount of work has gone into it. We’ve loved the time together and the work we’ve put into it so, to come short at the end of it is disappointing. But that’s sport and we’ll take something out of it and move on.”
From the kick-off the All Blacks set the tone, rattling Wallaby ball-carriers with ferocious hit after ferocious hit. A sea of black swarmed the green and gold. It was a series of collisions that shook the ground at Twickenham and let their fellow Antipodeans know how hard this match would be, how much of an arm wrestle they faced. There would no cake walk like against England, no soft tries gifted to them like against Argentina.
“It was big, it was intense,” Pocock said. “There was a lot of pressure at the set piece and the breakdown, from both teams. It’s exactly what we expected and we came up short.”
First Kane Douglas was forced from the field, then inside centre Matt Giteau followed him. Drew Mitchell came off for a concussion test but was allowed back on the field. Pocock was in the thick of things, as usual. The No8’s try in the 53rd minute off a rolling maul, with New Zealand’s Ben Smith sent from the field, gave the Wallabies a glimmer of hope. An 18-point ball game had suddenly become a 11-point margin. When Tevita Kuridrani crossed 11 minutes later, after Will Genia’s perfect kick had surprised the All Blacks defence, Australian pulses raised again. Bernard Foley’s conversion meant the difference was just four points.
The Wallabies were believing, hoping, praying before the All Black tide crashed over once again. A spilled pass gave New Zealand the chance to counter-attack and Beauden Barrett’s score, after he regathered a kick downfield, sealed the match. The dream was dead. “We worked hard throughout and we certainly thought at that point that the momentum was starting to swing about,” Pocock says. “But yeah that wasn’t the result in the end.”
Australia were deflated and the chance for a third World Cup trophy was gone. After surviving against Wales and riding their luck against Scotland, there would be no escape third-time round at Twickenham. The Wallabies may have failed but they have a lot to be proud of in this tournament. After the annus horribilis of 2014, Australian rugby is back on its feet. The chance to build positively towards a challenge in 2019, not to mention the Bledisloe Cup next year, is there.
But there were few positives for a gutted Pocock to draw on immediately after the final. “I’m sure there’ll be weeks and weeks to think about that now. There’s a few guys that are going straight back to their clubs in France but the majority of us have a bit of time off. We’ll put the feet up, spend some time with friends and family and I’m sure we’ll be thinking about all those sorts of things.”
Before the game there was talk of the open invitation that Pocock had sent to David Attenborough to attend. The forward, who grew up on a farm in Africa, had spoken of his admiration and respect for the English broadcaster and naturalist. But the 89-year old, like a Wallabies victory, didn’t arrive on Saturday (Sunday morning Australian time). “I didn’t hear directly from him but I did hear that he was in Patagonia or something and he got back yesterday. It really grew legs that story. There’s a lot of Attenborough fans in the team, so everyone loves him.”
The final was another performance from Pocock that caught the eye, another display that impressed friends and foes alike. All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter was named man of the match, and deservedly so, but if it was a green and gold win you wouldn’t have gone past the Brumbies scavager. One try and three turnovers only partly demonstrates his contribution. Pocock worked himself to the bone. When Barrett streaked away for New Zealand’s final try, it was the forward desperately and unsuccessfully trying to win in a foot race where he never stood a chance.
With the World Cup finished silverware has eluded him, but he is still in contention for a number of personal accolades – World Rugby player of the year, along with Wallabies team-mate Michael Hooper, and for player of the tournament. But that will matter little to Pocock, the team man who craved capturing the William Webb Ellis trophy. “It’s not how we wanted this to end, obviously, but credit to the All Blacks. They were good tonight and we’ll cop it on the chin. That’s how it ends.”
