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Matt Giteau's kicking sessions at 11,079km
- Iain Payten in Hong Kong
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- October 28, 2010 12:00AM
Kicking practice ... Matt Giteau. Source: The Daily Telegraph
LIVING 11,079km away from your coach may not sound ideal but Wallabies star Matt Giteau is harnessing the power of the internet to help cure his costly loss of goalkicking mojo in big Tests.
After nailing only four from eight attempts in the Wallabies' one-point loss to New Zealand in Sydney last month, Giteau began working with former Springbok Braam Van Straaten to iron out technical flaws that can see him swing from sharpshooter to hacker in crucial moments.
Van Straaten consulted with the Wallabies kickers on their tour of South Africa in August, and was asked to continue in the role by coach Robbie Deans. The 21-Test Bok flew to Australia for several days in a pre-spring tour camp but has otherwise done his coaching remotely via an online website set up by Wallabies tech staff.
Video of Giteau and other kickers are uploaded onto the site, and Van Straaten assesses each kick and provides feedback from South Africa.
"It's a game of such fine margins so if there is an area where you feel you can make improvement - ie thought - it would be good to talk to Braam. He's been good, I have changed a fair bit of my style," Giteau said.
"I feel like I have been striking it well but training really is irrelevant. All that really matters is those kicks you have in the game, so we will have to wait and see."
After reviewing the Sydney Test where Giteau missed two penalties and two conversions the solutions were soon identified.
"I just looked at certain parts of where I was probably falling away on the kicks, they were tailing a bit more than they usually do and not staying straight," Giteau said.
Giteau, who also worked with long-time kicking coach Ben Perkins during the Tri Nations, didn't miss a shot in South Africa and also nailed 81 per cent of kicks in the Super 14. But in failing to provide a match-winning 10-point buffer in Sydney, Giteau added to a pattern of his poor nights leading to close Wallabies losses. The 84-Test star admitted goal-kicking pressure plays on the mind.
"During the game it is not something the fazes me. If I miss a kick, it's like missing a tackle. You get on with the next part of the game," Giteau said.
"But afterwards you think if you were able to make a few of those kicks then they would count."
With another tight clash against the All Blacks expected on Saturday, Giteau is confident he'll nail the big ones when they count.
"For me, one game doesn't make me a poor kicker," he said.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225944380951
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