Brad Thorn has made eyebrow-raising comparisons between unheralded Reds fullback Jock Campbell and legendary duo Darren Lockyer and Ben Smith.
And while you might scoff if you heard that hot take from a mate at the office water cooler, it carries a bit more weight with Thorn.
The now Queensland coach won all sorts of silverware with Lockyer for the Broncos, Maroons and Kangaroos and with Smith at the Highlanders and All Blacks.
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“He’s got a big kick, defensively (solid), he moves so nicely, he’s got this movement like a Lockyer-style step,” Thorn said after guiding the Reds to a Super Rugby Pacific season-opening 23-5 win over the Rebels on Saturday.
“He’s (Campbell) a banker, you feel good when he’s on the park.”
The 26-year-old Campbell has shared the No.15 jersey with Bryce Hegarty in recent seasons but now has some clear air after Hegarty took up a contract in England with the Leicester Tigers.
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Campbell is yet to play for the Wallabies but Thorn said he had the ability to.
“He could comfortably go up another level – but he’s like one of those guys you can pass over,” Thorn said.
“He’s been chipping away and, for me, the guy I think of is similar in style, is Ben Smith. It took him a while and if you see him on the street you don’t go, ‘oh that looks like a Super Rugby player.’
“He played club, played for Otago and got little goes and by the end of his career he was one of the best fullbacks in the world.
“To see those guys come through that way is pretty cool; they’ve earned everything they get. Not as flashy – it’s like they don’t have bling or whatever, but they always seem to make the right decisions.
“For Jock, he’s doing a great job for our team. Whether he goes further I’m not sure, but I really like having him involved with us.”
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