Giteau warns Genia not to read own press

[travelling_gerry]

November 11, 2009 - 11:34AM

Wallabies star Matt Giteau is urging Will Genia not to get caught in the hype as the young halfback revelation continues to draw lavish comparisons with rugby legends George Gregan and Nick Farr-Jones.

The British media are claiming "the ghost of the great George Gregan is finally laid" and that "time stops for Genia" like it did for Farr-Jones following the Test rookie's commanding man-of-the-match display against England last Saturday.

Giteau is also tipping a bright future for the 21-year-old, but believes it's "too early to say" if Genia will end up as one of Australia's all-time great No.9s.

"Straight after the England game I was asked `is he the new George Gregan?' and that's a huge amount of pressure to put on someone," Giteau said.

"George Gregan is a rugby icon, not only in Australia but worldwide, so there'll only ever be one George Gregan.

"But if he can continues to work hard - and the signs at the moment are showing that he will - and he doesn't get caught up in the media as far as the hype and things like that, I think potentially he could be a player that's going to be playing Australian rugby for a long time.

"Certainly from the signs that he's shown so far, he's a quality player and he's got certain qualities in him that could take him a long way, and hopefully they do.
"The confidence and composure he has shown in the Test matches and his opportunities to date have been good.

"His instincts are probably the biggest thing. When there's opportunities there, he'll bounce out and run.

"He's also a pretty talented ball player. He's got a great short ball that he throws, that inside pass and he can also hold up defenders and put forwards through holes."

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says Genia - now sure to be a target for wary opposition teams - will need to adapt to the extra pressures in the same way Giteau did.

Giteau has been through a similar experience and is encouraging Genia to stick to his natural game.

"You need to pick and choose your moments, but the fact that he would be a marked man makes it easier for other players outside him," said Giteau, one of the main beneficiaries of Genia's meteoric rise.

The Wallabies playmaker says the emergence of Quade Cooper as a genuine Test centre also eases the burden on him.

"A lot was written about Will - and there's no doubt that Will played well - but I thought Quade was outstanding," Giteau said.

"He got his hands on the ball very early so he was able to settle into the game and, field position-wise, we were able to set up a right and left footer.

"So that takes more pressure off me rather than having Will there.

"Having said that, the way Will attacks around the ruck takes a lot of pressure off not only me but also the forwards as well."

Not fussed about whether Digby Ioane or Ryan Cross plays outside centre, Giteau says it's exciting times for Australia's new-look backline.

"We're creating tryscoring opportunities and we're just that one pass away from scoring two, three, four tries," he said.

"So that's a real positive."
© 2009 AAP

http://news.rugbyheaven.com.au/break...1111-i8k5.html

[Flamethrower]

Giteau should follow his own advice.

[travelling_gerry]

From: AAP November 11, 2009 3:48PM \

HAUNTED by the ghosts of 2006, Matt Giteau says the Wallabies must learn from one of Australian rugby's darkest nights to keep their grand slam dream alive with victory over Six Nations champions Ireland on Sunday.

In unrelenting rain at Landsdowne Road three years ago, Ireland romped to its biggest-ever win over Australia, a 21-6 thrashing, after the Wallabies spent virtually the entire matched camped inside their own quarter, desperately defending their line.

Brian O'Driscoll led the attacking onslaught and Ireland's inspirational captain will be back terrorising the Wallabies in his 100th Test this weekend at Croke Park.

O'Driscoll will again partner Gordon D'Arcy in the centres and Giteau says the Wallabies must wise up to contain arguably the world's most formidable midfield pairing.

Last time the two sides met in Dublin, Lote Tuqiri made one of his rare starting appearances in the centres alongside Stirling Mortlock and on Sunday Digby Ioane is expected to wear the Wallabies's No 13 jumper for only the second occasion.


“They've got an established combination there in the centres and last time we had an inexperienced pairing and they showed how lethal they can be and how they can exploit weaknesses in a backline,” Giteau said.

“They created a lot of opportunities and I don't think the scoreboard reflected how heavily they dominated us, especially in the centres.

“So obviously we need to be wary of that. We'll look at the footage, look more heavily at the way they like to attack.

“But the biggest thing is just to give a guy like Digby confidence, if he is chosen at 13, and let him know that inside or outside defensively we're all working as a unit.

“That way they don't get those opportunities. Last time we played here, we probably left Lote out to dry a little bit.

“He probably felt like he was defending in isolation a lot of the time.”

O'Driscoll reminded the Wallabies how dangerous he can be during this year's British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.

“You saw how influential he can be,” Giteau said.

“He's a player that a lot of guys look towards for that leadership. He's got a certain aura about him, especially here in Ireland.

“Whenever play with him, they get a lot of confidence out of it. Individually, he can do big things at big times and big moments. He's a player they look for, a great player.”

But far from a one-man band, O'Driscoll's class of 2009 is considered alongside Ireland's greatest-ever teams after this year landing the Six Nations title for the first time since 1948.

“Ireland is a huge challenge for us,” Giteau said.

“Grand slam champions, they've got a lot of experience, they had a lot of players who went on the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa, so it's going to be a huge ask for us.

“When you look at the quality of players they've got in their backline, it would be stupid to think that they're not going to throw the ball around or not going to threaten you anywhere across the paddock.”

AAP
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225796535130