TOULON CENTRE MATT Giteau has admitted his latest injury setback could bring his international career with Australia to a close.
The 33-year-old suffered a broken ankle against New Zealand in the opening game of the Rugby Championship, Giteau leaving the field 10 minutes into the 42-8 defeat in Sydney.
Coach Michael Cheika confirmed Giteau would play no further part in the remainder of Australia’s campaign, and the player acknowledges it may be time to focus solely on his club career once recovered.
“Once it happened I knew straight away the best thing would be to get back to my home and family and into the Toulon programme and start my rehab and get my surgery done and back on the park,” said Giteau.
“As far as long-term I haven’t thought about it too much but off the top of my head — I think Australian rugby is in a great spot and there’s plenty of young talent coming through. The last two Tests I played haven’t gone the way I wanted but I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
“Maybe it’s a sign that I need to go back and repay the faith of Toulon, but I’d be happy to come back and help Australian rugby in the future, even with giving advice, but playing might not be the best way to do that.”
Giteau will now head back to France to learn the severity of his injury and the length of his upcoming rehabilitation, but he is looking forward to returning to the Top 14 side.
He added: “The club is extremely supportive and they’ve been good from the outset, so all I can do is stay positive and start the rehab and the process at home, and add to the team off the field as best I can, and as quickly as I can.”
I was thinking the same yesterday. Can you imagine a player like Aidan O’Shea was left on the bench for a whole game. There would be a mutiny the day after their championship campaign ended.
@Ned Flanders: cheap shot. O’Shea showed he is the ultimate team player by switching to a totally new position over the last 2 games to help the team get over the line. I guess haters are always gonna hate though
@Pepper Brooks: ultimate team player? That particular tactic nearly blew up in mayos face. In the replay he was soloing around his 21 half way through second half and trying 40 yard outside of boot passes that ran out over the line. If kerry hadnt panicked and had taken points earlier rather than going for goals when 7 down it could have been a very different
@Pepper Brooks: O’Shea wouldn’t make the Dublin bench.
Juniors maybe
@johnnyA the game is also about opinions,for you it’s bitter and twisted against Dublin,while us Dublin fan’s are enjoying every minute of this great Team,so happy days for us Ha Ha ha
@alan dodrill: *fans
It’s a great achievement to show humility when you’re strolling through the championship. Fair play to the Dublin/AIG players for being such good winners. If Gavin exerts such control he must endorse or at least turn a blind eye to the playacting. Cooper at it again yesterday. McCarthy and McCaffrey at it the last day – good footballers but while their fans have brought the worst aspects of UK terrace culture to Gaelic Games the players have brought Neymar type playacting into our national sport. Great lads all the same.
@Johnny A: Why not just enjoy the football instead of always having a bitch , life is too short
@Tony Talbot: the football championship used to mean something. Now it’s completely hollow. Very few meaningful contests – certainly none when Dublin/AIG are involved. Instead of mitigating their natural advantages – population, money, home advantage – the GAA have bolstered these and set them in stone. Teams like Tyrone and Monaghan now come up to Croker with ridiculous defensive systems just to keep the score down. The GAA have to look at the population and reconsider a split – for example Dublin North/AIG & Dublin South/HSBC. There should be an equalisation process with the corporate loot – they should be allowed keep 20-30% with the rest being redistributed. And they should be kept out of Croker a lot more – why not make them play an away semi final for example. I’ll enjoy it then.
@Johnny A: have to hand it to you mate you have bitterness to a new level. Short memories like most non dubs. This golden era has more to do wirh jim gavin than anything else.Maybe he should only be allowed manage smaller counties?
@Johnny A: explain 1995 – 2011??
If you split Dublin now you’d risk an all Dublin All Ireland final and that would be worse! Did you see the bench. Dublin A Vs Dublin B would be some game!
Other counties need to stop making excuses… Kerry has the same population as Wicklow as is the most successful football county by far
Also, let’s split Kilkenny into North & South and actually while we’re at what about the most successful football county, Kerry…well over due a split!!
@Brendan Farrell: if you think a 2 way split isn’t enough and they’d still be too strong then a 4 way split would be ideal. Could be 4 Dublin zones – AIG1, AIG2, AIG3, AIG4. Have their own provincial championship. The metropolitan cup or something like that.
@paddy: I wouldn’t call it bitterness – more like constructive hate.