Wallabies Drew Mitchell and Matt Giteau to turn out for sub-districts side Balmain
Wallabies Drew Mitchell and Matt Giteau to turn out for sub-districts side Balmain
http://resources2.news.com.au/images...w-mitchell.jpg
Supporting the grass roots...Drew Mitchell will turn out for sub-districts club Balmain alongside fellow Wallaby Matt Giteau on the weekend. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
MEMO Epping Rams: You might want to give the All Blacks a call to see if they've got any spares this weekend.
A few Test players might come in handy with Wallabies Drew Mitchell and Matt Giteau set to be shock starters for rivals Balmain on Saturday in a remarkable day of park rugby in Sydney.
The star pair - with a combined pay packet nudging $1 million - will bypass a run for premiership clubs and instead don the Balmain strip for Ladies Day in the lowly third division sub-districts competition at Blackmore Park in Leichhardt.
It's a long way from a Bledisloe Cup full-house last weekend in New Zealand. A very long way, in fact.
In a subbies comp effectively four levels below elite clubs like Randwick and Sydney Uni, the appearance of Mitchell and Giteau will be unprecedented.
Think Shane Warne playing park cricket on astro-turf, or Tim Cahill having a run in the over-35s. The move has come about through Mitchell's ties with the ambitious and well-funded Balmain club, whose third-party sponsorship helped bring the Test star to NSW.
"When I came to NSW I aligned myself with Balmain and the idea was to get out and play a game, and I thought I should try to do it this weekend," Mitchell said yesterday. "I basically roped Gits in as well. I wore him down this year."
Mitchell has been "on loan" to Randwick for the last two seasons but often runs water for Balmain. The Wallabies wing wore Balmain socks playing for the Barbarians at Twickenham last year and convinced Giteau to do the same.
That snowballed into heavy pressure to play this season, said Giteau.
"Drew has been on my back. He knows my schedule better than anyone so I couldn't lie to him either," Giteau said. "I don't know how much footy I'll play, but it should be good. I haven't played subbies before."
Giteau has barely played club rugby either. Plucked from colts to play for the Wallabies in 2002, Giteau last played club rugby for Queanbeyan in 2006.
"I dislocated my thumb. Hopefully I'll stay out of trouble this weekend," Giteau laughed.
Those who knows subbies rugby might be now grinning. They breed 'em tough. "Matt will still be the smallest on the field," Mitchell joked. "People may give us stick but that'll be good fun. That's what subbies is about."
Giteau replied: "Hopefully someone gets a hold of Drew."
Mitchell and Giteau, who will play No. 15 and No. 12 respectively, are still awaiting final clearance from the ARU to play, having played all three Test matches over the last three weeks.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225903650325
