Giteau, Mitchell impress Wallabies coach

[The InnFORCEr]

Vince Rugari
July 6, 2015, 2:30 pm


Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell didn't miss a beat in their first training session back in the Wallabies fold, coach Michael Cheika says.

The France-based pair, who are the first beneficiaries of the Australian Rugby Union's relaxed eligibility rules for overseas players, were put through the wringer in a tough morning session for the 40-man Australian squad on the Sunshine Coast on Monday.

In a possible early pointer to how Giteau might be used on the road to September's World Cup in England and Wales, the former Brumbies and Force utility spent time running at inside centre alongside flyhalf Quade Cooper, rather than fulfilling the chief playmaker's role himself.

Cheika said he expected Giteau and Mitchell would have felt "nervous" reacquainting themselves with the Wallabies set-up.

"It's different, it's a whole new shape of play, different intensity," Cheika said.

"But I'll tell you - they didn't look too out of place.

"They're class players, that's why they're back here.

"I'm sure that the nerve endings that they know they need to tap into to play at the international level will be starting to agitate now.

"They're going to get really excited about the opportunity and it will be straight back on I think once the liniment's being put on before a Test match."

Cheika intends to rifle through as many combinations as possible during Australia's week-long camp at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Caloundra and is keen to see not only how his foreign legion adapts, but what the Australian-based Wallabies can learn from them.

"I've played overseas myself, I know you come back with different experiences," he said.

"They can pass that down both on the field and then in the preparation side of things as well, to all the other players.

"I'm looking at trying to get as much experience into the team as possible to match up and merge with the players that we have that are younger."

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sp...llabies-coach/

[chibi]

Would be good to see these guys in the NRC too

[jargan83]

Given they aren't actually contracted to the ARU I doubt we'll see them in the NRC.

[SNOB]

I think a few people will be surprised by Gits and Mitchell's play. I don't think a lot of us down in Au really know how good the French and British comps are. All this talk about S15 being the toughest in the world is only true as far as all the travel is concerned. In the north they play nearly twice as many games in a season and that doesn't include internationals. The game is as fast but defiantly nor forward orientated. The going is considerably tougher with wet and muddy pitches.
These two coming back may just have that little bit extra that we need badly!
Good luck to them both.

[chibi]

Where is George Smith and Brock James?

[zimeric]

Brock doesnt have the wallabies background that qualified Mitchell, Gits and George of the jungle, I also think he is now past his best.. AFAIK he's spent a lot of this last season warming the pine at Clermont

[The InnFORCEr]

Smith is on stand by, he'll get a call up before Hodgo if they need a replacement, you just watch.

[chibi]

Brock doesnt have the wallabies background that qualified Mitchell, Gits and George of the jungle, I also think he is now past his best.. AFAIK he's spent a lot of this last season warming the pine at Clermont

I forgot about the 60 test caps rule!

[SNOB]

Smith is on stand by, he'll get a call up before Hodgo if they need a replacement, you just watch.

Which is bloody ridiculous! If we had Hodgo coming on for the last 20 mins imagine the impact his captaincy skills would have! Mr Chieka is very short sighted.

[choice]

They tell me the first hour of training was introducing the Aussie based players to Mitchell and Giteau.

[sandgroperrugby]

Which is bloody ridiculous! If we had Hodgo coming on for the last 20 mins imagine the impact his captaincy skills would have! Mr Chieka is very short sighted.

Cause George Smith doesn't have captaincy skills with a few caps worth of experience to call on?

Matt is a awesome player in amonst a pool of great players who can play 7 for Australia. Unfortunate for him great for Australia, I just wish we had this kind of depth in prop and lock.

[Sheikh]

If Hodgo doesn't play for the Wallabies, I'm sure the Spirit could use an experienced waterboy. Might even get him on the first rungs of coaching

[The InnFORCEr]

Cause George Smith doesn't have captaincy skills with a few caps worth of experience to call on?

Matt is a awesome player in amonst a pool of great players who can play 7 for Australia. Unfortunate for him great for Australia, I just wish we had this kind of depth in prop and lock.

Perhaps this will help....

Leinster lock Douglas back into World Cup contention with the Wallabies


LEINSTER HAVE CONFIRMED that second row Kane Douglas has been called up to the Australia training squad as he seeks selection for the upcoming Rugby Championship and World Cup.

Leinster say the Australian Rugby Union made a request for Douglas’ release under World Rugby Regulation 9, which is intended to ensure ongoing primacy for international rugby.

Australia coach Michael Cheika’s decision to turn to Douglas goes against the current ARU eligibility rules, even after the recent tweak that saw Europe-based Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell recalled.

Both Toulon backs have won more than 60 Test caps, which the ARU has stated as a minimum threshold for any player to be selected when based outside Australia. Douglas currently has 14 caps for Australia.

The second row, who has an excellent relationship with Cheika after winning the 2014 Super Rugby title under the former Leinster boss, will now attempt to push his way back into selection contention with the Wallabies.

The fact that Australia have made a request under Regulation 9 suggests that Douglas’ chances of playing in the World Cup are strong.

If the 26-year-old is involved, Leinster will be deprived of yet another player during the World Cup period, as they prepare to lose somewhere in the region of 18 Irishmen to Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad for August, September and October.

Similarly, a permanent call-up for 29-times capped Springbok Kirchner would shear the Leinster squad of an experienced player during that testing time of the 2015/16 season.

It is believed that there has been a strong effort from Australia to lure former Waratahs lock Douglas home permanently, but Leinster this afternoon underlined that the Wallaby has another two years on his contract in Ireland and that they expect him to return after his international commitments.

Douglas underwent back surgery as recently as April, although it’s understood that the procedure was successful and that the second row is already on the road to recovery. That path now leads him back to Australia to prepare for the Rugby Championship.

“We are delighted for Kane and wish him well as he seeks the form and fitness required for selection for the Rugby Championship and, of course, the Rugby World Cup after that,” team manager Guy Easterby told LeinsterRugby.ie.

“Zane Kirchner is also in the initial South African squad and likewise we wish him well. It reflects very positively on Leinster Rugby when we have players selected for national squads.

“Our players should aspire to play at as high a level as possible, whether that be with Ireland or with their home nation.

“We have been in discussions with the Australian Rugby Union and with Kane for a few weeks now and we have made our position very clear. Kane is contracted to Leinster Rugby for another two seasons and we look forward to welcoming him back when his commitments with the ARU come to an end.”

There is a sense that the Douglas issue is not totally at an end, particularly with Cheika remaining such a strong fan of the second row.

For now, Leinster’s interim head coach Leo Cullen must deal with the frustration of potentially losing two players who would have been crucial during the World Cup period.

http://www.the42.ie/kane-douglas-aus...urce=shortlink

[travelling_gerry]

In addition to the "Giteau Clause" we now have the "Douglas Amendment"

[The InnFORCEr]

And of course if the Tahs manage to snare him back to Super Rugby by paying him massive $$$ to leave Leinster, they will only have to put a fraction of it in their salary cap because he is a returning Wallaby, which is Part 2 of the Izzy/Hunt Annexure.....watch this space.