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Wallabies great Toutai Kefu isnt a fan of Australias back-row setup, but the former Test No. 8 believes Michael Cheika has little choice but to play Michael Hooper and David Pocock together such is the dearth of talent at the back of the scrum.As the Pooper combination continues to dominate the build-up to the Wallabies clash with the Springboks in Brisbane on Saturday, Australian rugby fans are left with strong memories of a free-running Kefu such has been the continuing search for a player of the same mould.Wycliff Palu, Richard Brown, Rocky Elsom, Scott Higginbotham, Ben McCalman and now Pocock are just some of the names to have pulled on the No. 8 jersey since Kefus departure, though no man has been able to match the all-round skill-set of the Queenslander.And the situation has perhaps never been grimmer, with Pocock doing his best to fill two roles despite his natural fit at No. 7.I was just having that conversation the other day while I was watching Wallabies training; there hasnt been a real No. 8 [for quite a while] or we cant see any in the foreseeable future, Kefu told ESPN.[Ben] McCalman does some good things; are there some kids coming through? I dont know. Look I just dont know to tell you the truth.When I played, I think players were definitely more skilful then. But the game has changed so much and especially the way the Wallabies play, it is so collision based; whereas back then, we probably played a bit more in terms of passing and offloading.But it just depends on what type of No. 8 youre looking for. In terms of a ball-playing No. 8, I just dont see many around these days.While the Pooper combination helped to fire the Wallabies to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, a dysfunctional lineout and an inability to breach the gainline in close -- particularly in twin Bledisloe Cup defeats -- have raised questions over the combinations viability.Kefu has a temporary solution.Im not that big of a fan of it, but I can see where Michael Cheika is coming from, he said of the dual-fetcher setup.Hes picking two of our better players in the back-row instead of picking the best for the position. Its probably his last chance [to field the combination] this game, and they probably need to have some success and get a good result.Id probably swap the two around; Id probably play Pocock at No. 7 and move Hooper back to No. 8 or maybe even blindside.But No .8 is a really specific role where you need to have a good feel for it and, like I said before, its a position where you can pick and choose when you go in and out of the tight stuff.When he was out of the tight stuff, Kefu was one of the worlds most damaging ball-runners.Responsible for one of Australias iconic Bledisloe moments -- the Inspector Gadget try that sent John Eales into retirement a winner -- Kefu told ESPN of the roaming licence he was given by then-Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, explaining how that role allowed him to be so effective.Look I think Scotty Higginbotham was our last kind of ball-playing No. 8, and even with him a lot of people criticised him for being too loose, Kefu said.But if you look at the way I played, at times, I was loose. I suppose I had the freedom to do that in terms of my coaches.The best coach I had was Eddie Jones, and he basically left the way I wanted to play, and how I saw the game, up to me. But I had that freedom because I had a really good forward pack in front of me; so I could basically pick and choose when I wanted to run and when I wanted to ball-play.And I had a free licence that Eddie Jones gave me, and I suppose there was a special relationship there that allowed that to happen. Nike Shoes Canada Clearance . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. 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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The text message hit Michigan?cornerback Jourdan Lewis cell phone sometime after midnight on Nov. 13, only a couple of hours after Iowa upset the Wolverines 14-13 in Iowa City, a loss that put a serious dent in the their Big Ten title and College Football Playoff hopes.The text message from Lewis friend Tucker Vasher read: Keep your head up. Tough times bring out the best! Shows you how tough you are. No matter what I love you, bro. Go Blue!Lewis, an All-America candidate and potential first-round pick in next springs NFL draft, knows that few people are as tough or inspirational as Tucker and his twin brother, Tyler. The 22-year-old Michigan fans were born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that is commonly known as brittle bone disease and which requires them to use wheelchairs for their entire lives.It is inspiration that Lewis will carry into Saturdays game at No. 2 Ohio State (noon ET, ABC/ESPN App), which might decide whether the Buckeyes or No. 3 Wolverines remain in the playoff hunt.Just the way they live their lives is amazing, Lewis said. They dont fear anything. When I think of them, I realize that Im not really going through too much, and I can come back from anything. Even with everything theyre dealing with, theyre still enjoying their lives. Theyre optimistic no matter what.Between them, the Vasher twins have broken 75 to 100 bones, according to their mother, Lisa Vasher, of Harrison, Michigan.They were born with broken bones, she said. They had to take the boys out by C-section so they wouldnt break anything else.About 20 weeks into her pregnancy in 1994, doctors told Lisa and her husband Jeff that something was wrong with their unborn twins. When doctors completed an ultrasound, they discovered their babies femurs were irregularly short and curved. Doctors feared the boys suffered from brittle bone disease.They didnt expect the boys to survive, Lisa said.According to statistics from the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, there are a minimum of 20,000 people and maybe as many as 50,000 living with brittle bone disease in the U.S. Its much rarer for twins to both have the condition. Lisa Vasher said she has met only two other sets of twins who have osteogenesis imperfecta.Despite their struggles, Tucker and Tyler have never allowed their condition to prevent them from doing what other people do. When they were younger, they sometimes attended school wearing full-body casts. A nurse was assigned to keep watch over them at school, and their friends made sure other students didnt bump into their wheelchairs. Their bones are that fragile.Each of the Vasher twins has titanium rods in both their shins and their hips to keep them straight and strong. Tucker also has rods in both forearms and biceps; Tyler has a rod in his left bicep. The titanium, TV antenna-like rods in their shins expand as their bones grow.Tucker and Tyler know they can break a bone at any minute, regardless of the precautions they might take. Tucker broke a rib while sneezing and broke his arm while picking up a small Diet Coke at McDonalds. When they were younger, their parents wouldnt allow them to watch horror movies because they feared the boys would break a bone if they were startled.A couple of years ago, Tucker broke his arm while fishing in the lake behind his familys home in the upper peninsula of Michigan. He was using light tackle, only a bobber and worm, but when he opened the bale and flicked a line into the water, his arm snapped in half.Fishing was the one thing you couldnt take away from me, Tucker said. It was the one thing I was allowed to do. Right there, my fishing career was over. I could never fish again.That summer, Tucker broke his arm four times in three weeks. When doctors repaired his left arm, they rolled him over on the operating table and accidentally broke his right arm. Another time, Tucker fell out of his wheelchair and into an old fire pit. He broke both legs and arms and had to spend a couple of months in bed.There are a lot of cases that are worse than us, Tyler said. There are some kids that have to lay in bed up against a pillow all day.dddddddddddd Believe it or not, were pretty fortunate.The Vasher brothers spend a lot of their time on social media and playing video games. Tucker is very active on Twitter -- he has tweeted more than 38,000 times and has more than 4,000 followers. Tyler is a little less active but still has tweeted more than 16,000 times to his more than 1,400 followers. Neither one is shy about sending messages to professional athletes and other famous people.The brothers have had online interactions with Los Angeles Angels star Albert Pujols, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, former Lions running back Barry Sanders and Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones. Angels All-Star outfielder and AL MVP Mike Trout even sent them an autographed bat.A couple of years ago, Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh invited the Vasher twins to watch a game from his luxury suite. Detroit Tigers All-Star pitcher Justin Verlander gave them on-field passes to a game against the Angels, and they were able to meet Verlander and Trout.Tucker is amazing, Lisa said. Tucker is Mr. Social Media and is all about it. Theyve been through so much. When I see them happy and doing what they love, it makes me happy.Few things make the Vasher twins happier than watching Michigans football team play. Their uncle, Jim Vasher, was a Michigan season-ticket holder and took the brothers to a few games in the past. Jim, a military veteran, wore the same clothes to every game -- khaki pants and a Michigan shirt. He started the routine long before Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh made the conservative attire famous.About a year ago, Tucker started an online conversation with Lewis, one of his favorite Michigan players.We started talking to each other on Twitter, and I asked him what he liked to do when he wasnt playing football, Tucker said. He said he liked to play video games, and we started playing Xbox.Eventually, Tucker and Tyler started playing online Xbox with Lewis and his teammates, including tailback DeVeon Smith, defensive end Taco Charlton and safety Delano Hill. The Vasher twins forged a friendship with the Michigan players by playing games like Call of Duty, Madden NFL 17 and NBA 2K, while chatting online with them for hours.We just had conversations with them while we were playing the games, Lewis said. They were Michigan fans and seemed like really good guys.After Tucker had surgery at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor this past spring, Lewis and his girlfriend visited him while he was recovering. Tucker invited Lewis to visit his home in Harrison, which is about 160 miles northwest of Michigans campus.On April 23, Tyler and two of his friends drove to Ann Arbor to pick up Lewis. A native of Detroit, Lewis didnt know what to expect. Harrison has about 2,100 residents and only two stoplights. Theres a seasonal Dairy Queen and not much else. There isnt a lot to do besides hunting and fishing. Harrisons schools are even closed on the opening day of deer season each fall.When Lewis arrived in Harrison, the first thing the Vasher twins asked him to do was dunk a basketball. They had never seen anyone do it in person. Then they spent the rest of the day playing video games and doing other things, like hitting golf balls over the lake with a baseball bat and shooting pellet guns.It was probably one of the best times Ive ever had, Lewis said. Theyre some of the kindest people Ive ever met. They welcomed me into their home and didnt even know me. Theyre just really great people. Im so glad I met them.Sometime Saturday morning, Tucker will send Lewis another text message of encouragement. Its a message Lewis wont take for granted.What I bring from my life to his is to always be appreciative, Tucker said. With all of my tragedies, I try to bring out all the positives. I love my life. I couldnt be more thankful. Anything can happen in one second to where your life is changed. Thats what I tell Jourdan. ' ' '