White ready for Wallabies call

Nic White is ready to step up to the plate for the Wallabies. Picture: Kym Smith Source: DailyTelegraph

FROM being five metres from a Test debut to seemingly miles within the space of a year, halfback Nic White is taking confidence from Brumbies teammates he'll be able to step up to the plate for the Wallabies if the call comes.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

White appears on track to finally earn his first Test cap in the Rugby Championship after a torturous run of Wallaby-related fortunes since mid-way through last year.

As only one of two halfbacks in the Wallabies squad, White will sit on the bench behind Will Genia against the All Blacks in Sydney next week.

It's the same set-up as last year's June Test series against Wales, when White sat on the bench for the Wallabies for three matches but didn't play a minute, and therefore didn't earn a first cap.

A problematic shoulder injury then haunted the 23-year-old, but after agreeing with the ARU to undergo surgery in August last year, Genia went down with a season-ending knee injury and Nick Phipps leapfrogged up three spots to starting halfback.

This year, after a second straight Super Rugby season where he positioned himself as Genia's deputy, Robbie Deans overlooked White for the British and Irish Lions series in June, with Phipps preferred under Genia.

A broken shoulder in early June robbed him of any chance of a late call-up, or playing in the ACT's historic win over the Lions.

But now, having beaten Phipps to a halfback spot under Ewen McKenzie, White is hoping his patience and hard training will stand him in good stead for a possible debut in coming weeks.

"I remember (saying) after that series (against Wales in 2012) that it had given me a little taste and I just wanted to play and train as hard as I could in Canberra to better myself and give myself every chance of getting that cap, and it seems like forever ago now," White said.

"I'll do the same again now, each day is a chance to become a better player and put my best foot forward at training and in meetings and hopefully impress Ewen enough to get out there in that first Bledisloe and get a cap and get a win and bring that trophy home where it belongs."

Comfort shouldn't be an issue, with 11 Brumbies in the 30-man TRC squad. Of 13 backs, six are Brumbies but only Joe Tomane, Christian Lealiifano and Jesse Mogg are capped.

White said seeing Lealiifano and Mogg given debuts against the Lions - and then performing well - was a source of confidence for he and his fellow Brumby greenhorns.

"Christian's waited so long to take that opportunity and to see him take it and Moggy as well, to be thrown in there and grab the opportunity with two hands," White said.

"They just showed the younger boys down there that when the opportunity comes you are good enough to take it with two hands if you have the balls to do it it's there to be taken. Moggy came back with a few ideas and so did Christian."

It would be hard to inject much more confidence into White, however.

The feisty halfback says success at Super Rugby level with the Brumbies has endorsed his preference for "backing yourself and the game plan".

Daily interaction with Genia - seen by many as the world's best halfback - is valuable but White won't simply seek to become a clone of the Queenslander.

"He's the benchmark ... for the last couple of years I watched and emulated and tried to copy a lot of it and now I know I'm a different halfback to Will and probably want to strive in my own areas, where I think I can be better than Will," White said.

"And then the areas I know he's really good at, like his running game, when I come up here I talk to Will .. he's pretty good at pushing me."

White's long kicking game is superior to Genia, and helped the Brumbies dominate field position in 2013. Along with a sharp passing and defensive game, it's a trait that'll give McKenzie confidence about playing White in Genia's absence, whether by choice or bad luck.

"I guess they say Test rugby is a little different and Super Rugby is more about the running game and Test rugby there's not as many holes and gaps so you fall back on your kicking a little bit more. So if that's a place I can excel at then I'll put my hand up, I'm happy to do those jobs," White said.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

White ready for Wallabies call

Dengan url

http://sportifoclube.blogspot.com/2013/08/white-ready-for-wallabies-call.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

White ready for Wallabies call

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

White ready for Wallabies call

sebagai sumbernya