Why is Giteau still kicking for Wallabies?

What? "Mumm, a hard worker & fast around the paddock" You are joking!!! He moves like he has got bandages all over his body. The lump of sh*t

Fernando Marzano said | Today | Report comment Hi John, I totally agree with your comments Since last year I´m saying, first to the men of goal (What do you think), that after the improvement of scrum, the WBs, Aquilles’s heel was the poor goalkicking in the past. Giteau is an enormous player, but very inconsistent with the kicks, speccially when he is under pressión. Australia has never had big goalkickers, I remember Joe Roff, Andrew Walker, Stirling Morlock, Matt Rodgers y Elton Flatley, They never made me satisfied. I understand that a lot has to do with the way that most of the Australians goalkickers adjust the ball on the tee, "cannon position", whewre this came from, Rugby League, Ozzy Rules (Sports that I do not know, because I live in Argentina). The most successful kickers always sets the ball up and down, like Matt Burke (Probably the better one) and John Eales were two of them. Just to illustrate what I'm saying there are cases like Hugo Porta, Neil Jenkins, Merthens, Wilkinson, Carter, Montgomery, Quesada, Patterson, Steyn, Jannie de Beer and Todeschini, they use de traditional way to kick. The only player I remember be succes with that metod was SA Louis Kohen. Last june I could see the World Cup under 20 in Argentina, and the best perfomance came from an oustanding Matt Toomua, this player execute the kicks with great style and precision, surely that in the short time is going to be the best ever WBs kicker. Also es 1.82 and 90 kilos, another option can be B. Barnes (The one who has the best individual technique, even to execute drop shots, has a glove in his right foot) or K. Beale (does not seem to feel the pressure). Much to work and improve in this area, definitely at this point the coach has to have another options then Matt. Please do not crucify him, he does his best. Fernando – Córdoba – Argentina

Since last year I´m saying to the men of goal (What do you think), that after the improvement of scrum, the WBs, Aquilles's heel was the poor goalkicking in the past. Giteau is an enormous player, but very inconsistent with the kicks, speccially when he is under pressión. Australia has never had big goalkickers, I remember Joe Roff, Andrew Walker, Stirling Morlock, Matt Rodgers y Elton Flatley, They never made me satisfied. Probably the best has been Mat Burke, and to my to deal much the way of fitting the ball that the players have in Australia. Probably came from Rugby League, I don´t know, but is not effective. The best kickers around the world they use the traditional way to seat the ball, remember Hugo Porta, Neil Jenkins, Merthens, Wilco, Carter, Montgomery, Quesada, Patterson, Steyn, Jannie de Beer, Todeschini, for the ball on the tee. The Australian´s School made players to set the ball in cannon position, to me the direction is impredectible. I don´t know any player be succes with this metod, probably the better one was SA Louis Kohen. Last june I could see the World Cup under 20 in Argentina, and the best perfomance came from an oustanding Matt Toomua, this player have the best style to execute the kicks, surely that in the short time is going to be the best ever WBs kicker. Another option can be B. Barnes or K. Beale. Much to work and improve in this area, definitely has to be other better options. Fernando - Córdoba - Argentina

I think it would be timely if Giteau could get an injury, miss the NH tour, allowing someone else a try at at 12 plus another goal kicker. Gits could rest, meditate, do some training, practise and improve his kicking technique, and hopefully come back fully refreshed and at his best and playing to his old form. Or not.

Mumm should have his papers stamped... Never to play again.

"O’Connor only became a regular kicker for the Force this season" .. what the author forget to say was "because Gits was hogging all the kicking". Gits may have been an individually brillant player but he disrupted the team. O'Connor held the line with his boot when the Force was devestated by injury for the first half of the season and kicked credibly all seasson. On curent form Gits is clearly the number 4 kicker in the 15 and should be treated as such. His ego would be well served by a few matches on the bench or even out of the 22 all together. Show him that he is not indespensible and watch him improve.

Rugby followers have a look at Tim Fairbrother the tight head from Manly. Played nearly all games for the Western Force last Super 14 and cleans out all game. Played many games for Wellington in NZ. How he has not made the 22 before Slipper or Daley is beyond me. Has attended Wallaby camps to assist those two in front row techniques - now it must be his turn. Mumm has been helping out in the second row due to injuries but feel he is a 6. Elsom to 8 for the time being. Mumm, a hard worker & fast around the paddock may jolt Elsom into the player he was before he made Captain.

Maybe keep the Indian bookmakers away from Giteau? How many sports can be bought off with money to just 1 player? Hope it's not true though.

Sylvester, what does average out is that if you miss your kicks, you lose games!!!! All great, succesful rugby teams have a great, consistent goal kicker. Yes, the results of individual kicks being made or missed affects the course of the game - but the aggregate effect is that if you miss your kicks, you aren't taking the low hanging fruit - the points on offer. There is an undeniably high correlation between succesful kicking and winning percentage.

Stop letting the opposition romp home and you win 22-9.

....if Matt had been on the mark we would not be having this discusion because we would have won by 9 points, is it just me or do others not know how maths works. The Wallabies went through the same stuff in the late 80's and that is why Michael Linagh was brought in. Amazing from there we seemed to win more!! I apologise if this comes across in the wrong way however why do we continue to look for excuses as to why it went wrong when it is right in front of our faces???

mate u r off the mark considerable and have no follow through at all with comments made. Do you live in Australia? I'm sorry we have at the moment what is it 3 teams in this country that all have kickers that have made there mark in the competition that would all out do Matt at present he has had a shocker of a year!!!

A lack of subs getting on the pitch yet again. We really shouldnt be surprised by that though with the 3 blind mice in the coaching box.

I'm guessing Giteau's previous kicking guru Ben Perkins has been given the flick. Anybody confirm?

Yes. And the main reason we let in 2 late tries was because, as opposed to the first half, the All Blacks essentially stopped making errors and played smart, ball-retention, pressuring rugby, attacking our weaknesses - i.e. the soft tacklers, the scrum and poorer ruck work. They are the things we've got to most immediately concentrate on fixing. I question whether a two-hour mind-meld between Giteau and Van Straaten is going to make ANY difference to anything.

Giteau's missed kicks were fortunate for the All Blacks, but the reason the Wallabies lost was because they let in two late tries ala the Springboks in Soweto. Not that I think Giteau should be in the side - he's like a bad luck charm in Bledisloe Cup matches - but he's not the sole reason why they lost.

Mals, I'm not suggesting Beale or Giteau were under any greater pressure in that game. The point I was trying to make, & I know this sounds a#$e about, is the more difficult a kick is in a pressure situation, the easier it is for the kicker. Difficult kick = low expectations, which means the kicker relaxes & usually hits the ball well. Easy kick = high expectations, tighter muscles & the tendency to guide the ball rather than kick through it. The very best kickers have mastered this mental aspect & simply follow their process regardless of where the kick is from or what the game situation is. Giteau clearly has not, however he is still our best option at the moment.

Giteau - how many tests against the AB's? How many tries against the AB's? It seems to me he doesn't put the fear of god up the AB's, or any other team for that matter. The man shouldn't be in the team, let alone taking kicks.

You've lost me Arthur Beale kicks a clutch goal against South Africa in the final minute of the game - get it we win, miss we lose yet he is under no pressure because it's from considerable distance??? Giteau's misses 4 goals relatively early in a test match but yet he is under greater pressure? Plus the only kick Beale attempts he gets, after 4 misses from Giteau.

no I know you're not MOC, I just meant that I can only offer a potential reason, rather than anything more definitive.. Wayne Smith in The Oz today offers a little more reasoning too, and I have to admit I didn't Giteau would comapre as well as he does/did: "[Giteau] went into the Sydney Test having averaged 81.25 per cent (26 from 32) with the boot in this year's Tri-Nations - not as good perhaps as Morne Steyn's 91 per cent (31 from 34) for South Africa, but well above Dan Carter's 59 per cent (23 from 39) for New Zealand." On top of his (approx) 84% rate in the S14 this year, it's not hard to see why he is first choice...