Matt Giteau may be emergency halfback in Michael Cheika’s Wallabies World Cup squad
CALL IT the Giteau gamble. Michael Cheika is prepared to pick Matt Giteau as an emergency third halfback at the World Cup to free up spots elsewhere.
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MATT Giteau tweeted a photo of himself in a French weights room during the week, subtly reminding Michael Cheika he’s ready, willing and able for a World Cup squad call-up.
To seal the deal, however, Giteau might want to make the next one of him brushing up on ground passes and scrum feeds.
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The drums are beating the celebrated inside back will be called on by Cheika to reprise his duties of the 2003 and 2007 World Cups and cover the third halfback role when the 31-man Wallaby squad is selected in August.
They may seem minor selection calls around specialist spots — hooker and halfback — but shape as among the most crucial, and vexing, for Cheika.
Now I know how @JonnyWilkinson felt his whole career when he trained.. #NoMates pic.twitter.com/Ny0H4ostDW
— Matt Giteau (@giteau_rugby) June 15, 2015Wallaby squads have always carried three hookers, even when squads were limited to 26 players from 1987 to 1995.
The logic is that given two hookers are needed on game day, a third is required to step up to the bench in the event of a late — or short-term — injury. Replacements can’t be called in to a World Cup squad unless an injured player leaves permanently.
Halfback is the other specialist position but Robbie Deans’ call to take Will Genia, Luke Burgess and Nick Phipps was the first time in seven World Cups Australia had picked three no. 9s.
Giteau covered the role and before him Stephen Larkham did too in 1999. In 1987, 1991 and 1995, no-one even trained as the emergency third no. 9, say tour members.
The gamble for a World Cup coach is planning for a double dose of bad luck. Namely, if Nick Phipps goes down in the warm-up and Giteau is called onto the bench, can you trust he can play 79 minutes of a Test match if Will Genia also got injured in the first ruck?
Most coaches have taken the punt and it paid off. A third halfback has never been needed and Phipps only saw 20 minutes of action in 2011 — on the wing against Russia.
Cheika is believed to be ready to take the punt, too.
Giteau played six Tests as halfback back in 2006-07, but hasn’t spent a minute there since and has earned global respect as a no. 12, and no. 10. His then-coach John Connolly told NewsCorp last month it’s not a good idea to turn back the clock and use Giteau as a no.9.
The pay-off for the punt for Cheika, however, would be the space it frees up for an extra prop, a mid-sized backrower like Sean McMahon or even Quade Cooper as a third playmaker. Deans’ three nines saw him gamble on taking only one no. 7, ultimately disastrously.
Asked about squad balance last week, Cheika said planning for bad luck has a big role.
“You have got to have some balance around the team, knowing the rules. You have to know once a player leaves for injury, they can’t come back,” Cheika said.
Cheika’s no. 9 pecking order appears to be Phipps, Genia and then Nic White, and the decision of the latter to sign in France for next season may contribute to him being overlooked.
If White plays his last game for the Brumbies tonight in Cape Town, there is speculation he’ll be allowed to join up with Jake White at Montpellier within weeks. This places White within two hours of London for the September-October World Cup, should there be a late injury.
The rub? Cheika will have to be prepared to quickly put a bullet in an injured Phipps or Genia, however, even if they’ll only miss one game.
“If you get one of those early what are your choices, how level are players, do you leave one out of the squad completely knowing that if one gets injured you can bring the other straight about the same level,” Cheika said. “The balance around the specialist positions in particular is one I will have to evaluate.”
Phipps said it would be a tough decision for Cheika.
“It is a hard one. The last World Cup I wasn’t needed, really. But other countries did need their third halfback, or third hooker,” Phipps said.
“Gits is there and can play that role but if you have an injury would you be happy with someone who hasn’t played that position for a while on the bench?
“If Gits had some time at training to prepare I am sure he’d be able to cover that role fine but I don’t think he will rushing to nominate himself for the gig, he is a pretty dominant 12 at the moment. We’ll see I guess.”
Originally published as Matt Giteau may be emergency halfback in Michael Cheika’s Wallabies World Cup squad