Sydney - Australia coach Robbie Deans has refused to explain his reasons for omitting Wallabies veteran Matt Giteau from his 30-man rugby Rugby World Cup squad.
Giteau, 28, made way for flyhalf Berrick Barnes as backup for Quade Cooper in the squad named on Thursday for the World Cup in starting next month in New Zealand, an announcement foreshadowed by Giteau's thinly veiled Twitter post on Wednesday.
Deans denied there was any friction between he and Giteau, but would not explain his reasons for dropping him, saying "I don't want to go into specific details. It's tough enough for him to swallow without picking over that as well."
Giteau will join French club Toulon next year, meaning his test career could be effectively over.