Wallabies centurion emerges as shock candidate to fill Australian coaching vacancy
Former star Wallabies playmaker Matt Giteau is being touted as a potential replacement for ex-teammate Stephen Larkham as Australia’s attack coach ahead of this year’s World Cup.
Whispers of Giteau’s appointment to the role have been audible since Larkham’s sacking by head coach Michael Cheika in early February, with differences in coaching philosophies and attacking strategies spelling the end of Larkham’s role in the side.
Cheika is yet to find a replacement for the former 102-test first-five, with the appointment of Scott Johnson in the newly-founded director of rugby role delaying the search for a suitable candidate.
However, speaking on Fox Sports during their Super Rugby pre-match show on the weekend, Giteau hinted at the possibility of joining the national set-up as the side’s attack coach.
Asked whether he would be at the World Cup in a coaching capacity during a ‘yay, nay or hard to say’ segment, Giteau responded with a lengthy pause before reluctantly saying “nay”.
“I’m available, but it won’t be from a paid employment point of view,” he said.
His delayed answer came after he showed no hesitation in answering the previous question about whether he would come out of international retirement for the tournament, to which he immediately said “nay”.
While having never previously been employed as a coach, Giteau has some coaching experience, which he first developed as a player-coach over a brief period during his time at Toulon after incumbent head coach Mike Ford quit his role in 2017, while he also reportedly spent time with the Brumbies this season as well.
The limited experience he has within the realm of coaching could work in Giteau’s favour should he want to fill the Wallabies’ coaching vacancy, especially given the prerequisites Cheika outlined for his preferred candidate to Fox Sports over the weekend.
“The person we bring in will be someone I think that will be with the players, on field a lot, not build a lot of strategy, more getting players to embrace strategy and understand it so it’s automatic on the field,” Cheika said.
Other names rumoured to be in the conversation to plug the gap in Australia’s backroom staff include Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson and Rebels assistant Shaun Berne, as well as Scots College director of rugby Brian Smith.
Cheika is also understood to be consulting with a raft of rugby personalities for advice on who could fill the role, including former Wallabies fullback Chris Latham, ex-World Cup-winning hooker Phil Kearns, Australian women’s sevens star Charlotte Caslick, “some rugby league types”, and Giteau himself.
However, given Cheika’s preference for the successful candidate to immerse themselves among the players on-field, Giteau would appear best suited to the position given his experience, understanding and relationship of the current generation of players.
Giteau, capped 103 times internationally, last featured for the Wallabies as a player in 2016, and retired from test rugby last year.
He featured in three World Cups, including the most recent tournament in 2015, where the Wallabies fell short of their third world title after losing 34-17 to New Zealand at Twickenham.
He currently plies his trade for Japanese Top League club Suntory Sungoliath.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Can someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
227 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
3 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
86 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
29 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
227 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
227 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
19 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
19 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to comments