Williams: patience will pay off for us

PATIENCE must be one of the biggest virtues in professional rugby; just ask Australian forwards coach Jim Williams.

Williams has spent much of the past few weeks biting his lip in the face of public criticism following the team’s poor results in the Tri-Nations.

But all the while, he and Wallaby coach Robbie Deans, are looking at the bigger picture as they go about the work or rebuilding and reshaping the team for the World Cup in 2011.

Already there are green shoots. Take for example rookie David Pocock who takes the jersey of the great George Smith for Sunday’s meeting with Ireland. Williams is delighted not just with Pocock’s elevation but Smith’s reaction.

“I wouldn’t say he (Smith) had a smile on his face when he learned that he was out of the team, but the team would always come first with him.

“He understands that we must also look to the future, that these youngsters like Pocock must be given their chance.”

He heaped praise on tight-head prop Ben Alexander: “The scrum was an area for concern when I came back to Australia. Like everything with this squad, it is a work in progress but I think we have come a long way and it’s nice to have developed young talent along the way.”

In much the same way, he enthused about the Queensland Reds midfield partnership of Digby Ioane and Quade Cooper, and even more passionately about the potential of Australia’s new number nine Will Genia who has been compared with top vintage scrum halves such as Nick Farr-Jones and George Gregan.

“Here’s a guy who only came through provincial rugby because of injuries to others,” said Williams. “I think it’s going to be an exciting couple of years.”