Rugby World Cup: Wallabies’ ‘foreign service’ ready to divulge secrets

THEY are the new Wallabies’ foreign intelligence service and they’re willing to divulge all secrets to help secure World Cup glory.

Australia v New Zealand - The Rugby Championship

THEY are the new Wallabies’ foreign intelligence service and they’re willing to divulge all secrets to help secure World Cup glory.

An unprecedented four players in Michael Cheika’s World Cup squad named on Friday spent the majority of 2015 playing in Europe: Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Dean Mumm and Kane Douglas.

At the start of the year none would have been considering a recall but amendments to Wallabies’ eligibility laws by the ARU mid-year saw all that change.

Giteau and Mitchell earned selection while based overseas via the new 60-Test criteria, and Mumm and Douglas both qualified courtesy of them signing on to play Super Rugby in 2016.

The quartet have not only become members of the Webb Ellis Cup campaign, but due to their collective IP on European rugby and World Cup rivals, extremely valuable squad members.

Giteau and Mitchell (Toulon, France), Mumm (Exeter, England) and Douglas (Leinster, Ireland) have been immersed in northern hemisphere rugby for the majority of this World Cup cycle.

They possess insight, advice and even trade secrets of Australia’s World Cup pool rivals, even on individual player basis.

Mumm’s knowledge of English set-piece tradecraft will be priceless, and from playing at multicultural Toulon, Giteau and Mitchell have teammates from many rival nations. The duo know well the art of winning in Europe, too, having helped claim the European Cup several times in massive finals.

Dean Mumm takes on the All Blacks defence.

But it is not just the players. Cheika’s coaching career has been mostly in Europe (Leinster, Stade Francais), and so too Argentinian scrum coach Mario Ledesma, who played and coached in France until last year.

It is the type of World Cup advantage never possessed by Australia before.

“You understand, most importantly, the mentality of how they go about things and the way they like to play,” Mumm said.

“You can particularly understand that mentality from a set-piece point of view and how important it is. As well as Cheik and Mario, who have that European experience as well.

“You start to build that into the way you train and you realise that set-piece is such a huge element in Test football, but even more so in the north and to get into that mentality of applying pressure.”

Mumm was so highly regarded as a lock at Exeter he was named as captain of the UK Premiership’s Team of the 2014-15 season. He has spent the last three years poring over line out footage of English Test rivals like Tom Wood, Geoff Parling, Chris Robshaw and Dave Atwood.

Matt Giteau in action for the Wallabies.

“You understand the way people operate, potentially the way they’re inclined to call from a line out point of view and whether they go to certain things,” Mumm said.

“But there is so much work to do before that’s relevant, our focus needs to be on us and when the time comes to be able to try and give some knowledge across, of course it is there to be shared.”

Mitchell echoed Mumm’s view, saying insight into the northern “psyche” is perhaps the biggest advantage.

He said: “For us it comes from the last couple of seasons with Welsh and English opponents in our Heineken Cup pool and also in semis and finals, and we also play alongside a couple of Welsh blokes, like Leigh Halfpenny.”

Giteau, who helped Toulon win three consecutive European crowns alongside Jonny Wilkinson, said he’s willing to unload all he knows.

“Certain players you know, you play them a bit more consistently. You know more about them and how they like to play; strengths, potential weaknesses and so on,” Giteau said.

“And then for a gameplan, the coaches are going to know what they’re doing. Cheik has a lot of experience over in Europe, so does Mario. But if they do need any info we have gained when we’ve been over there, we are going to give everything. No doubt.”

Cheika said his foreign legion’s experience was an asset. He said: “​Just the fact they’ve been alongside some of the guys, been at some of the grounds and been there. All that experience helps.

Kane Douglas is on the plane to the World Cup.

“We were very conscious ​of making sure we had some very experienced players in our squad.”

Douglas has spent the least amount of time overseas but he got a good understand of the emerging strength of Ireland.

“Being over there I saw the Ireland set-up, I wasn’t too far away from looking at that because there were a heap of Leinster boys playing there. I know they have a strong team,” he said.

Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Wallabies’ ‘foreign service’ ready to divulge secrets