Wallabies latest – Gits axed in shake up
19 Jul 2011
Keo.co.za brings you news from Australia’s camp.
Gits axed in shake up - Matt Giteau has been dumped from Australia’s match 22 for their Test against the Springboks in Sydney.
Giteau has struggled for form for some time now and after starting against Samoa at the weekend coach Robbie Deans can find no place for him in his match day squad.
Pat McCabe holds on to his place in midfield ahead of Anthony Faingaa, who will play off the bench. Elsewhere in the backline there are starts for all the first-choice players, including Super Rugby’s form halfback pair, Will Genia and Quade Cooper.
In the forwards Reds duo James Horwill and Rob Simmons run on in the second row, relegating veteran Nathan Sharpe to the bench, while David Pocock returns to openside flank.
Australia - 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 James Horwill, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Subs: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Pekahou Cowan, 18 Nathan Sharpe, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Anthony Faingaa.
37 Comments
19 Jul 2011, 05:21 am
We can definitely tale these boys. If our forwards front up.
19 Jul 2011, 05:50 am
Gits played poorly and a fair call dropping him. McCabe had a few decent if not spectacular runs, not very flashy but he runs hard and straight. Not sure about Calman at 8, would find a spot for Higginbotham…
19 Jul 2011, 06:02 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-2:
Bit unfair on Giteau… he got **** ball from the pack and Phipps and 10 is not his preferred position (imo he’s carrying a niggle hence not on bench)…
This bench shades the Boks… and their backs give away an average of 9kgs per player.
However a few new Wallbie combo’s there and a few players coming back from injury… the Boks have a chance if their training/conditioning/clinic has been up to scratch…
19 Jul 2011, 06:28 am
This team is a bit closer to what the Wallabie team should look like, I don’t know how Rocky kept his position, I would loved to see Samo at 6, Pat McCabe wasn’t afraid to run at t he Samoans so I gues he’s worth another shot, Gits I think Paid the price for the poor form, What was most disappointing for me about the loss was we didn’t change our tatitics to win the game, Cooper won’t be afraid to do that, he is used to playing to the Reds strength which is the backline.
The thing that impressed me most about the Samoans is that they played nearly the whoe 80 and they were not only massively physicall aggressive but they also mixed it up well and played the game well, not seen by a pacific island team before, don’t think your Bokks would take them easily, they’ll more than match you physically and I can’t see Habana stopping that winger, He might catch him but he won’t stop him, glad their not in our pool
19 Jul 2011, 06:28 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-3:
Nah Bryce, as I said yesterday he has had a poor year and it reflected in his play on the weekend. I see in an earlier article Barnes will be playing club rugby on the weekend, I think he showed more this year in the little time he had than Gits did for the whole season.
As for the Boks, to many weak links all over the park. The Wobblies will have to play poorly and the Boks above average to get close.
19 Jul 2011, 06:39 am
Finally – Giteau gone – the worst performing Wallaby for the last 3 years. How he has kept his place until this point remains a mystery.
Still a couple of adjustments and lots to return from injury but the team is looking better.
19 Jul 2011, 06:41 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-3: Gits has single handedly lost the Wallaby’s 3 games in the last 18 months. He runs sideways, crumbles under pressure, can’t kick and his defence has been gradually deteriorating for the last 2 years.
Best move ever to drop him.
19 Jul 2011, 06:43 am
@jeest(jeest)-7:
Harsh but true.
19 Jul 2011, 06:44 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-5:
The thing is, Barnes just sneezes and is concussed, I don’t think he has long to go in his rugger career….
19 Jul 2011, 06:57 am
@whatever(whatever)-9:
Antihistamin anyone…?
19 Jul 2011, 06:57 am
@SAussie/QldRed(SAussie)-4: You have Ireland in your pool, if Samoa can turn you over, Ireland will have a go at you in the RWC
You may even face SA in the Quarter finals and then it is good bye 50% Deano
19 Jul 2011, 06:59 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-10:
hehehe………….it’s on the list of banned substances tho
19 Jul 2011, 07:13 am
@jeest(jeest)-7:
James O Connor is my first choice 12… and he’s going to be dynamite there next year for the Rebels…
It’s a waste having him on the wing… however it is clear that Deans (and most test nations)… need at least one of the wingers and 2 of the back-three to have excellent boots on top of the rest of the skills… Cooper, Beale, O’Connor fit this bill in the backs…
19 Jul 2011, 07:20 am
Deans is an idiot for scapegoating Giteau. The guy has been on fire all season for a struggling team and did his best last weekend to pull Australia out of the hole. He’s not a test flyhalf but always plays well against the Springboks and surely he is better than Pat McCabe?
19 Jul 2011, 07:25 am
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-14:
BH, Gits played ok in the last two games of the season. For the rest he was as **** as most his team mates. Saturday was back to ‘form’ for him. McCabe ran straight and hard all game, unlike Gits on his inside he did well with the chance he got. Only player in the whole backline who did anything at all…until Beale came on!
19 Jul 2011, 08:05 am
@jeest(jeest)-6:
how he managed to be the highest paid australian player for about 5 or 6 years is an even bigger mystery.
19 Jul 2011, 08:07 am
Put Samo in at 8 and Higgenbotham at 6, get rid of Elsom altogether, make Horwill Captain and you’ve got yourself a better side.
19 Jul 2011, 08:10 am
@jeest(jeest)-6:
in fact he may even have been the highest paid player in the world at some stage.
19 Jul 2011, 08:11 am
well I am happy Giteau not playing, he certainly has done Boks a few times already, always seems to step up against us.
M Steyn better get his defensive game on track….
19 Jul 2011, 08:23 am
@SAussie/QldRed(SAussie)-4: Yes, Tuilagis is huge, but the Boks know how to counter “big wingers”! We ensure that they don’t get the ball with space to build up a head of steam. The AB’s had the legendary Lomu, who to this day couldn’t score against the boks. Our wingers then weren’t the biggest around either. james Small, and Chester Williams. Boks can match the Samoans, Tongans, and Fijians physically, just because the the Wobblies wre too soft, doesn’t mean we will!!
To win the WC, you must be able to beat any team, so we don’t care who is in our pool!
19 Jul 2011, 08:29 am
@scrumfan(scrumfan)-17:
changing captains so close to a world cup is a very tricky thing. just ask nick mallet.
19 Jul 2011, 08:33 am
@grant10(grant10)-19:
like he stepped up to bakkies flattening him in the tackle in the 2009 3n?
on his current form perhaps it would have been better if he did play. would make it easier for the boks.
19 Jul 2011, 09:18 am
Boks by 7. You heard it here first.
Their tight 5 and bench are key areas of concern.
19 Jul 2011, 09:25 am
@Cheetah 4 Eva(Cheetah 4 Eva)-20:
The boks way of countering jonah was to leave the gates open for Cully and the otehr backs in the AB’s. Jonah didn’t need to score, he just needed to pass the ball to the guys in the gaps you left.
19 Jul 2011, 09:39 am
Cooper is going to run rings around Stain and Meisiekind.
This is where we’ll lose it. Ausies by 10-12 (no pun intended)
19 Jul 2011, 09:48 am
@SAussie/QldRed(SAussie)-4:
Dont worry about SA and the Samoans.We have beaten them a multitude of times because we can front up physically upfront,keep the ball away from their runners by keeping game tight and scrum/maul them to pieces.Keep them in their half through good tactical kicking and contest breakdowns.Nothing fancy,just pressure.
Habana is not Rod “i shat my pants” Davies,he is the best one on one tackling winger on the planet.One can slag Habana for plenty but physicality at tackle isnt a weak point-dude can tackle.Big game this weekend though,very suprised with Sharpe not starting.Loose trio just as undercooked as Elsom & Pocock hardly had an rugby…Very strange playing McCabe at 12 and not Reds combo of Genia/Cooper/Fainga’a.
@ricane(ricane)-24:
As awesome Tuilagi is/can be-he is no Jonah plus Samoa doesnt have like of Cully,Wilson,Umaga,Alatini,Alama etc running off nor they have forward pack anywhere in region of Ab’s. Great victory for Samoa,but Oz have been rolled over by England twice,nearly by Italy,and came into game not respecting Samoans.That has never happened with Boks and it wont.
19 Jul 2011, 10:05 am
@Cheetah 4 Eva(Cheetah 4 Eva)-20:
“Boks tackled Jonah…..Lomu never scored”
Perhaps you might care to tell us how many tries C.Cullen, J.Wilson and J.Kronfeld scored when Jonah was on the field vs Boks.
19 Jul 2011, 10:05 am
i dont like to say it but i reckon wobblies to bounce back and take it by 15. that said i dont think they’re a real threat for world cup though.
19 Jul 2011, 10:07 am
@Griqua_warrior(willievz)-23:
have you seen our tight 5? does not fill me with confidence. ruan and morne will need to be better than genia and cooper. and i dont see that happening.
19 Jul 2011, 10:12 am
@munkiboi(munkiboi)-29:
Yes I did, and the irony is that they still seem better than the yellow tight 5 on paper.
19 Jul 2011, 10:15 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-27:
Leave it alone,that a fact most saffas dont want to recognise. just want to harp on that Lomu never scored against us.
Im as patriotic as any one but when you watch the game properly-Jonah murdered SA.Cullen scored 10 tries vs SA in around 12 Tests I think.Half of those Lomu killed our D out wide.
John Hart ploy all the way.
By the way what happened to Hart after 99???(he was the custodian of the most gifted generation of rugby players in pro era)
19 Jul 2011, 10:21 am
@munkiboi(munkiboi)-29: @Griqua_warrior(willievz)-30:
Yeah our tight 5 isnt great but Flip/Muller vs Simmons/Horwill is much of muchness and Greyling/Smit/Kruger shade Kepu/Moore/Alexander.
Genia/Cooper are key,so pressure at breakdown & setpieces is only way to put pressure on them because going after them individually-they will rip SA apart.Because outside backs both teams cancel each other out.
19 Jul 2011, 10:26 am
@coma(coma)-25: Agree.
19 Jul 2011, 10:30 am
@mshiniwami(mshiniwami)-31:
i think cullen’s individual skill deserves more respect there. john hart ploy or not the guy was gifted.
19 Jul 2011, 13:43 pm
@he’s not the messiah. he’s a very naughty boy!(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-34:
Best player I have ever seen.
20 Jul 2011, 05:00 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-13: Yeah that’s true. It will be interesting to see what happens if Mitchell returns to the frame in time for the cup. It may be too late then for O’Conner to slot into 12 given that they would want to get him some top level games before unloading a comp like the WC on him. O’Conner may end up on the bench – the new Giteau (but with talent)
20 Jul 2011, 06:24 am
@jeest(jeest)-36:
You’re being a bit harsh on Giteau… the guy has had more sublime moments than not in his decade long test and Brumbies career…
He’s single-handedly cut-up more defences from set-pieces than many have had hot dinners…
Back to O’Connor… it will be fairly easy for him to switch to 12 if Mitchell makes a miraculous recovery…
I posted a quote from him recently where he says he already has licence to roam and already slips into the 12 channel on attack as far back as last year…
http://www.ruggaworld.com/2011/07/19/aussies-calls-on-stars/#comment-471199
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