Giteau wants improvement ahead of Tri-Nations
Posted
Updated
Matt Giteau... looking for a 'giant step forward'. (Getty Images: Mark Kolbe)
Wallabies back Matt Giteau says his team must improve if they want to be successful in this year's Tri-Nations tournament.
Australia will face France in Brisbane on Saturday night in the second of two Tests against last year's World Cup semi-finalists.
The Wallabies came through that match with a win, but have a difficult task with the loss of second rower Nathan Sharpe.
His absence leaves the team with one of the least experienced second rows in recent times.
The Tri-Nations starts this weekend, with New Zealand and South Africa meeting in Wellington.
Giteau says while he is happy with the recent wins, far tougher challenges lie ahead.
"Last week we improved from our performance against Ireland," he said.
"But we need to take a giant step forward again, we need to keep building momentum and keep improving our performances."
Stung French
Coach Robbie Deans, in only his third match in charge of the Wallabies, senses the French will do all in their power to redress what went wrong in Sydney.
"It will be very different this week," the New Zealander told a match-eve press conference.
"The French have mixed up their combinations and as they have indicated they have a sense of annoyance at their first experience and you only have to look at history to see how French teams respond under those circumstances.
"But we have motivations of our own, so it will be a battle of wills and a battle of wits."
French hardman Sebastien Chabal this week urged his team-mates to be more competitive in the contact area and ask questions of the Australian forwards.
"I think the French have indicated they are going to be pretty physical, they have a 5-2 split (forwards/backs) on their reserves bench," Deans said.
"It's pretty evident that they didn't enjoy their first outing and they are going to have to get on a plane at the end of this one, so I would suggest that it's a given that they will come out and be really physical and aggressive and challenge us."
The French are likely to target are debutant winger Lachlan Turner, a replacement for injured Lote Tuqiri, and young lock Dean Mumm, who has been entrusted with the lineout calls in the absence of senior jumper Sharpe.
"It's a challenging area regardless of who you've got there and the other guys (forwards) are pretty well versed and our preparation is such that they all need to have their heads around it," Deans said.
- ABC/AFP
