Elsom warns Aussies of Jennings

ROCKY ELSOM has warned his Australia side that former Leinster teammate Shane Jennings could be Ireland’s secret weapon when the sides clash in Brisbane today.

The pair were brothers in arms with the Blues the season before last but a host of injuries to the Ireland back row division means they will now face off at the Suncorp Stadium.

And Elsom is taking nothing for granted.

He said: “I think I’m more aware of what the (Ireland) guys can do. Shane is one bloke who often slips under the radar. His effectiveness often gets missed if you’re watching the game on TV but when you’re playing with him or against him, you realise how much influence he can have.

“Obviously we’re trying to stop that so it does make it a little different,” said Elsom, who expressed surprise when informed that the encounter would mark just a fourth Test start in an Ireland jersey for Jennings.

“Yeah, it does (surprise me). It’s not as if he has been held out by mugs either. Particularly now they’ve got some depth in the back row. I’d say that’s a big part of the reason.”

Elsom said that the Wallabies are desperate to avoid letting another tight game slip away. Much like they did both at Murrayfield and Croke Park last winter, Robbie Deans side failed to close the game out when they looked on their way to victory over England last week. It cost them dearly.

“There are two things with that. One, is not letting it get to a point where there’s an element of chance at the end of the game, which is a big issue,” said the ACT Brumbies back row.

“The other thing is knowing what to do and being able to perform under that sort of pressure, because the big matches inevitably go down to the wire and you’ve got to be able to deal with that. So there are two sides of that, and we want to get a hell of a lot better at that.”

Inevitably the media session didn’t pass without Elsom being asked if he would ever return to Leinster.

“Well, I had a great time up there. I could think of plenty of worse places to go,” responded the Heineken Cup winner. “But I’m extremely happy here at the moment, so it’s hard for me to talk about another club when I’m here and enjoying my time here.”