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Matt Giteau refutes reports he is miserable under Test coach Robbie Deans
- Wayne Smith
- From: The Australian
- July 17, 2010 12:00AM
MATT Giteau is not unhappy in the Wallabies, just the opposite in fact.
Australia's highest-profile and quite possibly highest-paid rugby player is bewildered to find himself caught in a vortex of public conjecture over why he is so miserable in the Wallabies when in fact he isn't.
"The frustrating thing is that one person (a media critic) is coming out saying I'm unhappy and from that people are trying to work out the reasons why," Giteau told The Weekend Australian.
"The actual case is that I'm not unhappy, I'm not down at all. I'm enjoying my football.
"I've always loved my football. As soon as that enjoyment stops, I stop playing. But I still love my football and want to be involved as much as ever."
Giteau insisted speculation that he and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans had had a falling out was just one example of people ticking boxes in their attempts to find a reason for his supposed discontentment.
"That's one that people throw up but I've loved working with Robbie," he said. "He's certainly taught me a lot while I've been here (in the Wallabies). I've thought I've played some of the best rugby of my career under Robbie."
Ironically, Giteau believes that one of his best performances, at least of recent times, came in the match which triggered speculation that he actually wanted out of the Wallabies, the Sydney Test against England last month.
That was the game in which Giteau, still groggy after being taken out off the ball -- the incident which led to Australia, then 20-21 behind, receiving a penalty straight in front of the England posts -- astonishingly missed the simple match-winning kick. But it also was the game in which he scored two tries and accounted for all of Australia's points.
Just as he did at the post-match press conference that night, Giteau again refused to make excuses for the miss but when pressed admitted that his head was not together when he attempted the kick.
"Clearly it wasn't. Otherwise I would have got it," Giteau said.
"But that's not to say I was knocked out or anything like that. I was already thinking of the next play -- receiving the kick-off and playing field position.
"That's the only thing I can probably learn from that -- to stay in the moment."
Now 27 and the veteran of 80 Tests, Giteau admits his approach has changed dramatically from when he first came into the Australian team in 2002.
The cheeky, precocious new recruit has risen steadily through the ranks and now carries a general's baton. Whenever the television cameras settle on him these days, they're likely to capture the image of a commanding officer barking out orders to the troops.
"That's the thing -- look at the (playing) group now," Giteau said.
"It's a totally different dynamic to when I first came into the Wallabies and could just do my job, was laughing and having fun.
"It could be the way I yell instructions.
"It looks ugly but I'm just trying to get them across.
"I don't know whether I should be walking around in a Test match just smiling the whole time."
Indeed, Giteau recognises that it is a pointless exercise trying to convince people he is not an angry man and a disruptive influence within the side.
"So long as within the playing group and the staff they're happy with how I'm going and they're happy with my contribution to the squad, that's all that really matters in our quest to getting to where we want to be next year (at the World Cup)," Giteau said.
He is convinced the quest is on target and that the Wallabies soon will put together the ultimate game that will convince themselves -- and their detractors -- that they are on the right course.
"All the pieces are here and everyone feels that there is that confidence in the group that we are very close," Giteau said.
"Hopefully our next game is the one where it clicks."
It will need to be.
The Wallabies' next game is against the world champion Springboks next Saturday at Suncorp Stadium and anything less than their best won't be good enough.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225892981166
OK, I offer up only one piece of evidence which confirms that he's desperately unhappy and about to chuck it all in
Pretty conclusive reallyOriginally Posted by Matt Giteau
C'mon the![]()
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I love how a newspaper will publish a story about someone being angry or about to be sacked or whatever ... and then publish a story soon after about the subject refuting the story.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.
- Winston Churchill
[Pedant mode on] He hasn't refuted the reports at all. It's just possible you could say he's repudiated them, but there's a perfectly good word to use: deny. He's denied the reports are true. Why do journalists have to mangle the language? [Pedant mode off]
Didn't he say the same in 2008/2009 @![]()
he's played some of the best rugby of his career under deans?
BULLSHIT!!!
He'll come good once he understands what Quade is doing... and who will be the outside centre...
i think it would be a good idea for deans to drop him completely.... gits is well short of confidence.....
Jeez... Giteau has either side of him international rookies... thats got to be difficult... It will be interesting to see how Quade fairs against the larger faster Boks pack... especial their loosies...its a worry I believe QC has the worst defense stats from the S14 out of all the Wallabies backs
I noticed the title of the article and thought, here we go, another journo has jumped on board the anti Giteau train to convince the uninformed public there is a big drama about his Wallaby spot and he's struggling to keep up at test level backed up with no facts what-so-ever, because they know all this sensationalized rubbish will make the press.
Then i noticed Wayne Smith's name at the top of the article and was shocked, i thought he usually does a good job. Then i started reading and my faith in his articles was restored. Its good to see someone clearing up all this crap about Giteau so we can move on. Or by their standards, back to Quade Coopers court cases...
I'll leave out the easy one about him being shown up by them OK?
I actually think Quade will relish the opportunity to play against a bigger pack, firstly it's more of a known quantity for him, and you can't say he's done poorly against them, secondly they're a lot bigger and therefore less mobile. He isn't the one I'd be worrying about, because they won't get their hands on him for most of the game, Our back 5 forwards are the ones who are going to need to step up, there's just no way to avoid the confrontation there.
Quade's defence will only be tested for about 20 minute while the boks are fresh, from then on, they'll be too knackered from chasing him around every play to even think about running at him.
C'mon the![]()
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It will be Quades first start at 10 against the Boks... Genia hasn't no game fitness and QC tackle is a swing'n door... I hope he is reborn come saturday night but I hear he is just a rookie... I'm also concerned about 13 no Mortlock defense no running Digby... AAC is our only hope he can firer up with Gits to break the line... The All Blacks have dominated the Boks because they held the ball. But I put to you guys will rookie QC panic and kick away the possession?
If we are going into the Giteau/Cooper comparisons here I think It'd be better to have Cooper, who kicks the ball away when he panics, than Giteau, who kicks the ball away whenever he receives a pass.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Thanks James, saved me putting thoughts into words![]()
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.