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Thread: Giteau becomes world's best player

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    Giteau becomes world's best player

    By Wayne Smith
    March 17, 2008

    SERIOUSLY, was that a wink Matt Giteau gave to the television cameras late in the Western Force's match against the Blues in Albany?

    Sure looked like one and who could have blamed him, with the Force just minutes away from sealing its first win on New Zealand soil. But still, it was an incongruously boyish moment in the context of Giteau's astoundingly mature game, a throwback to his days as Kid Dynamite.

    Make no mistake, the Kid ain't a kid any more. The baby fat is long gone. The features are sharper now, harder somehow. And the stubble looks like it belongs where previously it seemed vaguely ridiculous.

    Giteau always has had a Peter Pan quality about him, which presumably comes from having played for Australia while basically still a child. But NeverNever Land is receding. The boy has become a man and the man is fast becoming the most dominant individual player in rugby.

    Exaggeration? Let's look at the other contenders. The IRB's player of the year, Bryan Habana, doesn't control matches. He ignites them, but his influence is limited and while he is capable of conjuring tries out of nothing, mostly he is dependent on others, most notably Fourie du Preez, creating opportunities for him.

    Du Preez himself would rank high on the list. A wonderfully creative half-back, tough, fast, unselfish and blessed with such a varied kicking game that South Africa were able to carry a limited kicking five-eighth like Butch James all the way to a World Cup victory. Yet, as the Reds showed this weekend, even du Preez can be muted if the bash'em-up boys in front of him are themselves monstered.

    Richie McCaw? Inspirational, courageous, the best ball-thief in the game. But he doesn't run things. That's the job of another contender, perhaps the one player who stands between Giteau and the summit, New Zealand five-eighth Dan Carter.

    Critiquing Carter, like any of these players, is akin to finding flaws in the Mona Lisa, but there are questions about his ability as a tactician. Certainly the Wallabies have long believed it was Aaron Mauger who was the brains of the outfit, the man who made the bullets that Carter fired with sniper-like accuracy.

    Noticeably, when Mauger was left out of the line-up for the quarter-final against France in Cardiff last year - the selection blunder of a generation - Carter wasn't able to turn the tide and finished the match on the bench.

    Granted, Giteau wasn't able to turn the tide in the Wallabies' quarter-final either, but then he wasn't playing at five-eighth. At inside centre, his influence was significantly reduced.

    By the time the ball had worked its way back through a browbeaten pack, been cleared by George Gregan and on-passed by Berrick Barnes, about the only option open to Giteau was to decide whether he wanted to be buried by Lewis Moody or Andy Farrell.

    These days Giteau is a 10 and while that doesn't imply perfection in any Bo Derek kind of way, it does mean that as a five-eighth he has perfect freedom to call the shots for the Force as he sees fit. It's a responsibility he is growing into right before our eyes.

    In the first half against the Crusaders and again, more pertinently, in the second half against the Blues, Giteau was mesmerising. It takes talent, time and a lot more besides for a player to be recognised as truly great, but once there, the fringe benefits are to die for. One is the opposing teams will constantly over-read and over-analyse your play.

    That's where Giteau is at. Against the New Zealand powerhouses, he had moments of pure magic and was all but untouchable. Yet such is the aura he now projects, even his bland plays caused palpitations in the defensive line. You could almost read the bubbles: "Hell, I can't see any real trouble here, but it's Giteau and he's always up to something so I'd better hold off, just in case". Which of course meant that Giteau really was up to something.

    Suddenly every member of the Force backline is playing like an automatic Wallabies selection, none more so than winger Drew Mitchell who has done a fair bit of growing up himself over the past 12 months. With Giteau, drifting, feinting, changing angles, stepping and sliding, the Force backs are like IT investors back in the late 1990s, opportunities are opening up faster than they can capitalise on them.

    It's not just Giteau's running game that has matured. His kicking out of hand and off the tee are now world-class. For much of the past decade, the Wallabies basically sacrificed a kicking game, and the easy yardage it can offer, to take full advantage of Steve Larkham's unique passing skills.

    But now, with Giteau set to make the 10 jersey his own, the Wallabies can have it all. That's not a prospect likely to bring a smile to the face of Graham Henry or Peter de Villiers.

    The caveat in all of this is that the experimental law variations could almost have been written with Giteau in mind, and it remains to be seen whether he can generate anywhere near as much momentum under the old laws which are likely to resurface for the domestic Tests. But between us, I suspect he will. Great players always adjust.

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    Legend Contributor Thequeerone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by travelling_gerry View Post
    [I]By Wayne Smith
    [
    Suddenly every member of the Force backline is playing like an automatic Wallabies selection,.
    and the front line as well ...
    we did this without Hardy and Pocock - but am getting irritated that people/journos don't realise the intelligence of Sharpie on the pitch as well - he went down in the 76th minute for 2 mins time wasting and a quick chat with John Mitchell - then made sure that the team denied the Blues the consolation try or in other word "A BONUS Point" - that point denied to the Blues could be vital later on.

    It was a team win - I don't underestimate the importance of Gitts to the team - but the whole team won that match.

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    61 years between Grand Slams Was the wait worth it - Ya betta baby

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    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
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    Settle TQ1, this is Wayne Smith writing this article mate!......I can't believe the words came out of his mouth, he's been the most die-hard of the Wild Wild West critics. To admit that ANYBODY on the Force team is good is a big step for him.....I like the line "Every member of the Force backline is playing like an automatic Wallabies selection" he's not yet able to say "every member of the force backline IS an automatic Wallabies selection"....but wait until we play the other Aussie teams, that argument will be put to rest very quickly thank you very much!

    As for the leadership potential of Sharpie....obviously it's unquestionable....I reckon he shouldve been Wallaby captain instead of Stirlo myself, Wallabies need to be lead from the front...that's one of the reasons John Eales was so good as captain, he didn't stand back in the line and say "You guys need to give me more room" he did a Sharpie, took the ball and said follow me! In a nation of (admittedly) light front rows and mobile packs, you need that, everybody in the pack has to play out of their skin to match the bigger guys, you just can't get that out of blokes unless you're SHOWING them how to do it..........Gits would certainly be almost as good if not for Sharpie leading the pack to 160 odd metres gained per game, but he's BRILLIANT with Sharpie creating the room for him!

    And he's turning Tommy Hockings into a possible Wallaby selection in his rookie year as well! Not run on for sure, but he could well ride the bench in a lesser test to see how he handles it!

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    C'mon the

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    Champion Skiza's Avatar
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    I actually think this is a pretty reasonable article...i like

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    Immortal GIGS20's Avatar
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    Yeah, given it's source, my grin just kept getting wider and wider!

    It must have been hell for him to write pretty much all of that since he's essentially attempted to fill Growden's shoes....that hasn't happened since the Chief Rugby Correspondent seems to have found some credibility again (at least over east) But for a Wayne Smith article, this is a large, heaping slice of Humble pie.....Inside Rugby did it last week, Wayne Smith this week.....I wonder how long the bookies will take?

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    C'mon the

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    Dont agree with you Gigs re Smith. If he isnt the best rugby writer in Australia i will eat my hat. Ive always thought he gives us kudos when deserved and a serve when not. To compare him that that ejiot Pies......your drawing a long bow.
    What to get a balanced view on rugby, read The Oz as they have the best coverage by a country kilometre and not a Tahs bias.

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    Player lmaag's Avatar
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    Must agree with you TLH. I took some of my school kids to a test a few years back where they could see the inner workings of the media during the game. Top bloke who was interested in some WA country kids. He and Bret Harris seem to be fairly balanced in their articles.

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    Player lmaag's Avatar
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    Smith is a Queenslander too! I wonder if he had the temptation to write an article about the Reds as 2008 champions

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    Legend Contributor Flamethrower's Avatar
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    Giteau becomes world's best player


    Yet he can't make the SMH Team Of The Week even in a winning team and the Tahs on a bye

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    Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

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    gits is not even qualified to carry loti`s boots

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    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Wayne Smith has been the most balanced writer re the Force so far this season. But I think he's off the mark saying that the rest of the Force backline have become Wallaby contenders on Gits' back alone. Matter of fact I thought Gits didn't have a brilliant game against the 'Saders. It was above average but if he'd fired like he did in Auckland we probably would've taken those points too.

    Our backline has changed this season partly to cover the lack of a hard running/defending 9 after Yak got himself sacked but also to accommodate the ELV's. The coaches are playing a passing 9 with a ball-playing 10 & 12 and a big straight running 13 who can unload outside & inside in the tackle. They are starting to gel on the strengths of their individual skills and I don't think we've seen anywhere their best yet. But what a mouth watering prospect it is.

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    Matt giteau is awesome

    oops

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    Last edited by ash_rugby; 22-03-08 at 18:55.

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    (formerly known as Coach) Your Humble Servant Darren's Avatar
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    ash - FlameThrower was complaining about the SMH, not bagging Gits

    Welcome!

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    gits is awesome

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    Last edited by ash_rugby; 22-03-08 at 18:56.

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    Champion Contributor Jehna's Avatar
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    Ash - I'm pretty sure you'll find that every person on this site is a Gits fan

    And as for sloppy, I believe his was complimenting Gits as well hun...

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    "Remember lads, rugby is a team game; all 14 of you make sure you pass the ball to Giteau."

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