Larkham not distracted by Pocock negotiations

Editor

Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham revealed David Pocock's potential absence from the game for 2016 is not a distraction.

The Australian Rugby Union and Pocock are currently locked in negotiations about his immediate future, with the superstar reportedly pushing for a year away from rugby to study in England.

"No [it's not a distraction], we've been through a few of these already in terms of where a player is going to be next year," Larkham told WA Today.

"We've spoken about that the focus has to be on this campaign. We're not looking any further ahead. It's going to be an ongoing process and I think we're well and truly past that stage of it being a disruption."

However, Larkham is under no illusions at the value Pocock would add to the Brumbies Super Rugby campaign.

"In my mind, he was the player of the [World Cup]…it was a very special tournament for David," added the former Wallaby pivot.

"If you're the best player at the best tournament in the world, you're probably at the top of your game. But we think there's still improvement for David; there are certain areas we're working on with him.

"All of the [Wallabies] coaches were in agreeance after the World Cup that we felt we couldn't win a game if David Pocock wasn't on the field, or we needed him on the field if the game was tight."

Pocock has been named in the Brumbies starting line-up to take on the Queensland Reds in pre-season game in Ballymoore on Friday.