How to play Giteau at half

[Burgs]

How to play Giteau at half

By Wayne Smith
May 08, 2007

ADAM Ashley-Cooper may well have made his Test debut as a wing and his reputation as a full back and outside centre for the Brumbies.

But he could yet emerge as the surprise solution to Australia's problem inside centre position.

Strictly speaking, it's not a problem, with Australia boasting one of the world's great 12s in Matt Giteau. But with coach John Connolly known to want strike weapons in every backline position going into the World Cup in France in September, the selectors' dilemma is how to switch Giteau to halfback without compromising the midfield.

The safe option would be to retain the pairing used in Australia's most recent Test, against Scotland at Murrayfield last November, with converted Western Force winger Scott Staniforth playing alongside Stirling Mortlock.

Staniforth is a straight, hard runner whose forte is delivering the ball over the gain line whenever the Wallabies have nothing on the boil, but those are assets Mortlock already brings to the back division.

It's a second ball-player outside Steve Larkham that attack coach Scott Johnson has spent the past 12 months searching for and indications are the selectors are debating whether Ashley-Cooper might have the right skill mix to fit the position.

There is no doubt he has the power to do what Aaron Mauger does for New Zealand, settle play down when required, and he clearly would bring some much-needed speed to the midfield.

But the question is whether he has the deftness of hand to match Mauger's creativity. The other question is whether a Giteau/Larkham/Ashley-Cooper 9-10-12 combination will deliver more than the tried and proven George Gregan/Larkham/Giteau triumvirate. And perhaps the only way to answer that is to trial 23-year-old Ashley-Cooper there in the Test against Wales at Telstra Stadium on May 26.

Still, it is not as though Connolly does not have other options available after naming five specialist centres in the 59-man train-on squad announced yesterday. Giteau, Mortlock, Morgan Turinui and Force pair Junior Pelesasa and Ryan Cross and a host of utilities could see service in the midfield, including Staniforth, Lote Tuqiri, Julian Huxley and Reds youngsters Berrick Barnes and Quade Cooper.

If it's weapons of mass destruction Connolly is amassing, then young speed-burners Lachlan Turner and Digby Ioane must come strongly into the reckoning. While there is merit in the proposal to use Turner, 20 on Friday, at fullback pending Chris Latham's return from a knee reconstruction, it's only as a winger that he is seriously being considered.

"The sideline is your friend" is a well-loved Connolly phrase Turner and Ioane might be hearing a lot in the coming weeks if Connolly decides to bite the bullet and gamble on youth.

Defensively both players have their flaws but by using the sideline correctly, they should be able to rely on their raw speed to compensate.

The only way both youngsters could be fitted into the starting Test XV simultaneously would be by using Tuqiri as a full back and while that in isolation might be an attractive proposition, it would leave the Wallabies seriously underpowered in the kicking department in the back three. All of which points to Cameron Shepherd or Julian Huxley in the 15 jumper against Wales.

While there are selection hot spots in every second backline position, the trickiest spot in the pack could be number eight. Connolly is a firm believer in the big battalions principle, which would seem to make Wycliff Palu a no-brainer at the back of the scrum, especially on the strength of his dominant display against the Hurricanes.

But Palu has a lot of down time, a criticism often directed at David Lyons as well, while Brumbies number eight Stephen Hoiles has matured this season into one of the most busily creative back rowers in the game.

A 59-man train-on squad suggests just about every player wins a prize, especially with the still unavailable Latham and Greg Holmes not included.

But not so, with the selectors signalling to three Force Test players, hooker Tai McIsaac, number eight Scott Fava and halfback Matt Henjak, that their services will not be required. So too Reds veterans Sean Hardman and David Croft appear to have been pensioned off while league convert Clinton Schifcofske has received no recognition for a solid debut season.

Inevitably, enigmatic Waratahs player Peter Hewat again has been overlooked, although his credentials this year are nowhere near as impressive as in seasons past.

Wayne Smith's Wallabies XV:

1: Benn Robinson
2: Stephen Moore
3: Guy Shepherdson
4: Hugh McMeniman
5: Nathan Sharpe
6: Rocky Elsom
7: George Smith
8: Stephen Hoiles

9: Matt Giteau
10: Steve Larkham
11: Lachlan Turner
12: Adam Ashley-Cooper
13: Stirling Mortlock
14: Lote Tuqiri
15: Cameron Shepherd

16: Tatafu Polota-Nau
17: Al Baxter
18: Mark Chisholm
19: Phil Waugh
20: Wycliff Palu
21: George Gregan
22: Julian Huxley

[Darren]

1 from 12 in the forwards and only 2 from 10 in the backs?

[felixnelson]

ashley-cooper should go get another surname!
gits or stanners or maybe barnes...

[JediKnight]

East coast bias again!

[Evie]

ashley-cooper should go get another surname!

I feel his pain... my parents felt the need to give me a double-barrel surname too.

[The InnFORCEr]

I chose to have mine. The 1st.

[Burgs]

"The Inn"???

[The InnFORCEr]

not, but that's where I like to spend my spare time!

[littleleck]

The safe option would be to retain the pairing used in Australia's most recent Test, against Scotland at Murrayfield last November, with converted Western Force winger Scott Staniforth playing alongside Stirling Mortlock...Selectors are debating whether Ashley-Cooper might have the right skill mix to fit the position...he clearly would bring some much-needed speed to the midfield.

And Staniforth wouldn't???
clown

[shasta]

In the absence of Latho I just don't see any reason to try anyone at 15 except Shepherd. The only other players I would consider are Huxley,and then only from the bench and Gerrard.

[hopep]

Can't get my head around this fixation with Gits at #9

Watched him play there in last years tour and still think he cant pass to the left. Watch a replay, he moves the ball to the left of his body, turns and plays a reverse "right hand" pass. Far to slow for a Test level scrumhalf.

I am dreading the World Cup.

[gustafsl]

I don't understand it either. Yeah 9 gets the most touches but most of them there is really no option but to pass it off. And every time he does touch the ball there will be 2 or 3 guys waiting to tackle him, just a waste if you ask me. Gregan had a great year and the only thing Giteau has over him is the threat that he may run with the ball. Gregan hasn't run with the ball in years, and I'm not even sure he knows how to do anything but pass it to Larkham.

[Burgs]

To be fair gustafsl, Gregan probably ran more this season than he has in the last three.
There is only one International standard Scrumhalf in Australia and that is George Gregan. I respect peoples right to disagree and continue to bash him but IMHO any hope to find a better option is waisting valuable preperation time for the WC.

[shasta]

There is only one International standard Scrumhalf in Australia and that is George Gregan. I respect peoples right to disagree a

I don't actually disagree, but I'm pretty confident Cordingly has the stuff if he can only get a decent tilt without getting injured. At least he seems to be in the picture so fingers crossed.

For mine the only other player who's showed enough is not in the squad. But he should just keep working at it. With Connolly's penchant for mind games I wouldn't be totally surprised to see him get a phone call a bit later on.