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Wales switch focus from Dan Carter to Australia's Matt Giteau
By Wayne Smith
November 27, 2008 MATT Giteau might be the lightest player in a giant-killing team from a nation of overachievers but he is weighing heavily on the mind of Wales rugby coach Warren Gatland in the lead-up to Saturday's Test at Millennium Stadium.
A week after setting his players the task of shutting down Dan Carter, Gatland's steely gaze has swivelled on to Giteau, the diminutive playmaker looming large in his sights as Australia's linchpin, a player as crucial to the success of the Wallabies game as Carter is to New Zealand.
"I think they're quite similar in terms of when Carter is on top of his game and dominating the game then the All Blacks get a flow - and the same with Australia (and Giteau)," said Gatland at Wales' training base outside Cardiff.
"One of the things he does is get good distance between nine and 10 which stretches opposition defences. For a player who is not big, he's deceptively strong. He runs nice lines and knows when to take a gap.
"For me, those two positions (the New Zealand and Australian five-eighths) in the last couple of weeks were pretty critical. We did a lot of work last week on Carter and it will be the same sort of approach this weekend in terms of trying to shut down Matt's game."
As for marking Giteau, his opposite number Stephen Jones admits he will have his work cut out for him, just as he did marking Carter last weekend.
"He's brilliant, isn't he?" Jones said. "He's the centre of everything for Australia. He pulls the strings and you have to make sure your defensive unit is clever because you can't afford to give him space."
The Welsh team's assessment comes hard on the heels of former British Lions great Jonathan Davies' claim that Giteau may have edged ahead of Carter.
This will be the 14th and last Test of the year for the Wallabies and Giteau has played in every one of them. He has started in all but the Italian Test, in which he spent 12 idle minutes on the bench before being thrust into the game.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html
Last edited by travelling_gerry; 27-11-08 at 07:17.
A bit of deliberate media I think, thinking Campo v England WC type stuff...
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
Probably not what he actually said anyway...you would hope!
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.