Giteau on bench as half - and mentor to newcomers O'Connor and Cooper
Giteau on bench as half - and mentor to newcomers O'Connor and Cooper
Greg Growden | November 7, 2008
THE Wallabies' eagerness to give newcomers James O'Connor and Quade Cooper game time off the bench against Italy on Saturday night could result in Matt Giteau reverting to a position where not so long ago he was the centre of the great Australian experiment.
O'Connor and Cooper are on the bench, with Wallabies coach Robbie Deans hoping to give each youngster some time in the second half, depending on how the visitors fare against their under-rated but experienced opponents, who have more than 500 caps in their starting line-up.
This leaves only one other back reserve spot open. To cover as many positions as possible, Giteau will be the third bench player, backing up halfback Luke Burgess.
In 2006, Giteau went on the end-of-season tour to Europe as the Wallabies halfback after George Gregan chose not to go. He played several excellent games at No.9, especially against Wales in Cardiff, but admitted he never felt fully comfortable in the position, preferring five-eighth or inside-centre.
Deans could have chosen one of the specialist halfbacks in Sam Cordingley or Brett Sheehan as back-up to Burgess but Giteau is a far wiser move as he can cover more positions and can act as mentor for the two novices sitting beside him on the bench. Cooper is just 20; O'Connor, if he takes the field, at 18 years and 126 days will become the second-youngest Wallaby of all time.
The Wallabies are taking this Test very seriously, even if Italy's coach Nick Mallett yesterday said his side was nowhere near as formidable as the one that worried the Australians in Rome in 2006.
"That was a very different Wallaby team," the former Springboks coach said. "They had a different coach. They tried Giteau at scrumhalf, Mat Rogers at flyhalf. That was just really shot-in-the-dark selections. That was a hell of a help to Italy … your front row was shocking that day."
Mallett said in 2006 Italy were also able to take advantage of the rolling maul. "When you take all that into account, Italy then had a lot of advantages. Now the rolling maul is very difficult to operate because you can pull it down," he said.
"Giteau, Luke Burgess and Berrick Barnes are playing very well, and now you have proper players appearing in their proper positions. Also the Wallabies front row is now holding up. They scrummed really well in the Tri Nations.
"Benn Robinson is a bloody tough loose-head, Al Baxter is doing a good job and Stephen Moore is holding it all up really well. They are definitely not the weakness that they were in last year's World Cup when England ran all over you and obviously 2006 when Italy scrummed the hell out of you. So it is going to be much tougher."
Mallett said Italy could "spring an upset" only if "there was a hell of a lot" of rain. "A couple of intercept tries would be helpful as well," he added. "If we can finish within 15 points [of the Wallabies], it will be a really good performance by Italy."
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