Captain Insano can't wait to grapple with his old foes again

Given Mortlock's ability to get himself into trouble, the name given to him by Brumbies team-mate and former Wallaby flanker Owen Finnegan seems very appropriate.

But the centre has surgery to thank for allowing him to lead the Wallabies on a revenge mission against England in the quarter-finals in Marseille on Saturday.

After undergoing reconstruction on both shoulders - in 2001 and 2003 - the Aussie skipper partially dislocated one of the joints against Wales in the pool match in Cardiff three weeks ago and cheerfully said after the game that "the team doctor told me that it was lucky I had that recon work on the shoulder because it would have been more serious".

This is a 30-year-old rugby player who considers a partial dislocation good news.

But Mortlock is now restored to full health to lead the Wallabies in their bid to erase the memory of that 2003 World Cup final defeat by England.

"The shoulder is great. I could have played last week but I wanted that extra week of rehab," said Mortlock.

"There's a lot of hype about this match but I'm just excited to be playing again."

Yet, last year, there were calls to have him stripped of the captaincy and sent home in disgrace after being out until the early hours during the Italian leg of their autumn tour and then having a blazing row with Scott Johnson, the Wallaby backs coach.

Mortlock survived and recognised the error of his ways to such an extent that he played it safe when the Wallabies had the official World Cup farewell ceremony in Sydney with Prime Minister John Howard.

The father of three pulled out a prepared speech which he delivered to the crowds from a balcony and when asked to speak later at the official meal, brought out exactly the same speech and read it out again.

Mortlock said: "I was one of three guys who came back late into the team hotel in Italy but I wasn't intoxicated at all. I realised that was a poor example to set as captain, and I was determined to learn from that experience. Going through that tour helped me grow as a leader."

A year earlier, Mortlock had come close to becoming a professional player in Japan after receiving a attractive financial package.

In the end, he opted to stay at home and was rewarded with the captaincy of his country.

He said: "I guess in your career and life you make decisions that have massive repercussions, and the two that come to mind are joining the Brumbies in 1998 and deciding to stay in Australia two years ago."

Mortlock knows the Captain Insano nickname is firmly attached despite his desire to prove he is neither mad or a wrestler. "I have learned that if you fight too hard against nicknames, they really do stick longer than you would hope," he said.