Why ‘nothing flash’ Wallabies captain is Australia’s Richard Hill and Conrad Smith as World Cup winner lauds ‘workhorse’ skipper
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson returns to action this weekend.
Harry Wilson has been named as one of rugby’s most underrated stars – with social media copping the blame as his tireless work cannot be distilled into a 10-second clip.
The Australia captain returns from injury to skipper his country on Saturday when the resurgent Wallabies take on New Zealand-beating Argentina in tropical Townsville.
He does so having played a lead role in transforming the rugby fortunes of his country with a formidable two-try display in their historic come-from-behind defeat of South Africa in Johannesburg last month.
Silent Assassin
When the subject of unsung stars is raised Richard Hill, England’s 2003 World Cup winning blindside flanker, tends to be the first name mentioned.
Hill was known as the Silent Assassin for good reason, so influential was the unseen work he did for the only England rugby team to rule the world.
Other contenders for that title include All Blacks centre Conrad Smith, about whom team-mate Dan Carter says: “Unarguably the best of all time for me, but doesn’t get the praise he deserves.”
To that list you can add Gael Fickou, such a consistently influential presence for France, yet rarely given the billing reserved for the likes of Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos and Damian Penaud.
Simon Shaw (England), Danie Rossouw (South Africa), Aaron Mauger (New Zealand), Stephen Larkham (Australia) and Francois Cros (France) would also have their supporters.
Wilson‘s return, having missed the Wallabies’ narrow loss to the Springboks in Cape Town a fortnight ago, is a major boost for a side on an upwards trajectory following their series loss to the British and Irish Lions.
World Cup winner Chris Latham, who proudly pulled on the Green and Gold 78 times, believes the number eight is both a special player and unsung – and he thinks he knows the reason.
“It comes down to the era, the time that we live in,” said the former full-back. “We live on moments now, we live on snippets: social media, Instagram, X, whatever else it is. It’s all about 20-second grabs of brilliance.
Aussie workhorse
“When you see a sportsman or woman on social you see 20 seconds of brilliance, always a highlight. We now judge people on that. We forget, you need your grinders, you need your hard workers.
“We forget that without your workhorse, the guy or girl who ploughs that paddock all day laying the groundwork, others can’t come in, put down a crop and reap the reward.
“That’s what Harry is. He’s a workhorse that ploughs all day. Nothing flash, little that’s going to show up on Instagram. But he is a big player for the Wallabies and we’re glad to have him back.”