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In the shadow of the Table Mountain, Matt Giteau was back on the training paddock at inside-centre, surrounded by Wallabies royalty and stressing the importance of trying to outsmart the Springboks.
Unlike most Wallabies, who are attuned to anguish whenever they are in South Africa, Giteau is proud of his recent record in the Republic - two wins so far this season with the Western Force, knocking over both the Stormers and Bulls in the Super 14.
"And I want to keep that 100 per cent record going," Giteau said about Saturday's Test against South Africa at Newlands.
Easier said than done, especially as Australia haven't won a Test in South Africa in seven years, and are about to confront an opposition already described by several of Giteau's teammates as the most complete Springboks line-up they have faced.
However, the Wallabies also brought out their "big guns" for their first training run at a Newlands high school, with the old midfield firm of George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Giteau and Stirling Mortlock back together, in tandem with wingers Drew Mitchell, Lote Tuqiri, and fullback Julian Huxley.
This was the first public sign that Wallabies coach John Connolly had given up on the Giteau at No.9 experiment, and Gregan and Larkham would be back together as the halves combination for some time. All of them appeared relaxed.
Yet there is the lingering shadow of these players failing in so many recent major matches. And they don't get any more major than a Tri Nations opener. If the Wallabies get walloped again, where does Connolly turn? But the magnitude of the moment did not appear to be affecting Giteau - instead, he said if there was any pre-match tension it was being felt by the Springboks.
"I don't feel any pressure. We do have the underdog tag for this Test, and that suits us pretty well," Giteau said on Wednesday. "If anything, it looks as if the South Africans are the ones who are putting themselves under a fair bit of pressure. They are obviously playing really good rugby, but they are still talking it up a fair bit. That also suits us pretty well."
Giteau said the key to enjoying their first Test success in Cape Town since 1992 was to nullify the crowd factor by getting on top of the Springboks early.
"You definitely need a fast start, because if you give them a sniff and allow them to get a lead, it is going to be a lot tougher to chase them down," Giteau said. "It is also important to silence the crowd as much as you can.
"Whenever you play the Springbok sides, they always lift that extra bit at home. It's just a matter of lifting our game as well.
"You just can't come over here and play the same way you've been playing, because the fact is that the Springboks lift, and so they're going to beat you. We have to match them physically, and then try to outsmart them."
Being physical does not just revolve around the Wallabies forwards, but also for their backs to stand their ground and refuse to be intimidated.
"We have to match them physically not just through the forward pack, but throughout the whole side," Giteau said. "Once we do that, we then have to try to outsmart them. There are different areas where we want to attack, but patience is the key to it.
"I think we showed in the first three Tests this year that we didn't have too much patience when we got close to the line, as we were trying to score from every phase. That's something we have to work on. Also, we have to show discipline. If you don't, you don't win."
AUSTRALIA (likely):
1. Matt Dunning
2. Stephen Moore
3. Guy Shepherdson
4. Dan Vickerman
5. Nathan Sharpe
6. Rocky Elsom
7. George Smith
8. Wycliff Palu
9. George Gregan
10. Stephen Larkham
11. Lote Tuqiri
12. Matt Giteau
13. Stirling Mortlock (c)
14. Drew Mitchell
15. Julian Huxley
http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/ne...414380599.html
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