By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Late-blooming Melbourne Rebels prop Matt Gibbon feels his Wallabies hopes now lie on stronger shoulders after a test debut went begging three years ago under Michael Cheika.
The 27-year-old loosehead was included in Dave Rennie’s squad for the tour of Argentina after impressing for Australia ‘A’ in the Pacific Nations Cup.
Gibbon trained with the Wallabies under former coach Cheika in 2019, having earned a surprise call-up only months after downing tools as a qualified electrician to play Super Rugby with the Rebels.
Gruelling fitness sessions at Sydney’s Coogee beach did not lead to a Wallabies jersey, though, and shoulder problems soon dented his hopes of playing at the highest level.
“It was me and ‘Nela (Taniela Tupou) and all the other fatties on the beach there with Cheika just kicking us up the arse, climbing up and down the beach at Coogee,” he told reporters on Wednesday, recalling his first Wallabies experience.
“I was actually supposed to get a shoulder reconstruction before I went into that. I just said, ‘You know what? I don’t want one. If I’m in the Wallabies squad I want to try to stay there.’
“So I just kind of brushed the shoulder recon. That was probably a bad idea. The shoulder started falling out during the year.”
After a double shoulder reconstruction, it took time for Gibbon to recapture his best, and he entered the season down the pecking order for props under Rebels coach Kevin Foote.
He finished well, though, earning his spot in Australia ‘A’ and a further chance to impress Wallabies selectors.
“Building into this year I wasn’t the first choice, but I just knew that if I could get my shoulders right, get confident and put some weight on, I knew I was pretty confident in my scrums,” he said.
Gibbon will battle experienced looseheads James Slipper and Scott Sio for a test jersey in Argentina, where the Wallabies kick off their Rugby Championship campaign in back-to-back matches starting in Mendoza on Aug. 6.
His brother Alex, who represented Australia in rugby sevens, was thrilled to hear of Gibbon’s call-up and offered motivational words from his home in northern New South Wales.
“He called me up and (said), ‘You know mate, there’s 173,000 players in Australia and you might be one of the best ones,'” said Gibbon.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever mate.'”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
