Publications
Partners
Sydney - The Wallabies midfielders are praying that speed and brains, rather than size and brawn, will keep the Springboks and All Blacks at bay during the Tri-Nations.
As the Australians attempt to climb off the bottom of the Tri-Nations ladder, they know their midfield will hardly scare their opponents in the height and weight category, as they are one of the smaller Wallabies attacking combinations of recent times.
And due to injuries and lack of options, there are no glaringly obvious alternatives to help increase the size of the midfield and outside backs in the short term.
A lack of bulk and height out wide could easily work against the Wallabies when they confront the large and dominant Springboks. The Australians have the extra problem this season of having to play South Africa twice on the highveld, in Pretoria and Bloemfontein, where high kicks and physical intimidation are inevitable.
Compared to the last Australian midfield to win the Tri-Nations in 2001, the 2010 midfield is on average more than seven kilograms lighter and 6.5 centimetres smaller per man. They are also shadowed by the 2003 Wallabies World Cup final midfield, who were on average six kilograms heavier and five centimetres taller.
No longer do the Wallabies possess such back-line giants as Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri, Joe Roff, Chris Latham or Daniel Herbert, with the biggest man in the Australian midfield being Adam Ashley-Cooper at 98kg and 182cm, who usually moves from position to position every Test he plays.
Elsewhere the Wallabies are considerably smaller compared to their more successful counterparts of the professional era.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans does not necessarily prefer to select smaller attacking players - during his lengthy and successful period with Canterbury he usually had one sizeable midfielder outside either five-eighths Andrew Mehrtens or Daniel Carter, including the 101kg Casey Laulala and 109kg Norm Berryman. And centre Aaron Mauger, at 93kg and 182cm, wasn't exactly tiny.
In Australia, there is hardly a long line of large or threatening back-up centres, wingers or fullbacks.
Stirling Mortlock is the most obvious man to build up the Wallabies bulk, but there is uncertainty over when he will play again. Queensland Reds centre Will Chambers, at 100kg, is also injured. Other back-ups - Berrick Barnes, Peter Hynes and Kurtley Beale - aren't exactly gargantuan.
Anthony Faingaa, just one kilogram heavier than Giteau, is an extremely strong option to move into the Australian midfield at inside-centre during the Tri-Nations, possibly as soon as the first round against the Springboks in Brisbane on July 24 after being solid during the Australian Barbarians campaign last month.
Ryan Cross, at 99kg and 1.91m, is one possibility, but he missed out on the original Wallabies extended squad and may struggle again to make it when the 30-man Tri-Nations squad is announced on Thursday, especially as Deans appears eager to pursue youth.
Instead, Deans is clearly hoping pace and ingenuity will work in the team's favour. While keeping a close eye on Faingaa, including watching him play in Brisbane club football last weekend, Deans will also be waiting impatiently for centre-winger Digby Ioane to overcome his shoulder problems. Apart from being 93kg, Ioane is one of the few Wallabies midfielders to constantly threaten, and constantly runs straight.
Not surprisingly, the Wee Wallabies find themselves neglected in Tri-Nations discussions. It appears all New Zealand are worried about is confronting the Springboks. Over the next two weeks, the All Blacks meet the Springboks in Auckland and Wellington.
As former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick wrote in The New Zealand Herald on the weekend: ''The Springboks scare me. They are not only a top side in good form, they have depth and, as I have noted before, depth in experience.''
The Wallabies can only wish they were either in form or had such sizeable depth.
As the Australians attempt to climb off the bottom of the Tri-Nations ladder, they know their midfield will hardly scare their opponents in the height and weight category, as they are one of the smaller Wallabies attacking combinations of recent times.
And due to injuries and lack of options, there are no glaringly obvious alternatives to help increase the size of the midfield and outside backs in the short term.
A lack of bulk and height out wide could easily work against the Wallabies when they confront the large and dominant Springboks. The Australians have the extra problem this season of having to play South Africa twice on the highveld, in Pretoria and Bloemfontein, where high kicks and physical intimidation are inevitable.
Compared to the last Australian midfield to win the Tri-Nations in 2001, the 2010 midfield is on average more than seven kilograms lighter and 6.5 centimetres smaller per man. They are also shadowed by the 2003 Wallabies World Cup final midfield, who were on average six kilograms heavier and five centimetres taller.
No longer do the Wallabies possess such back-line giants as Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri, Joe Roff, Chris Latham or Daniel Herbert, with the biggest man in the Australian midfield being Adam Ashley-Cooper at 98kg and 182cm, who usually moves from position to position every Test he plays.
Elsewhere the Wallabies are considerably smaller compared to their more successful counterparts of the professional era.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans does not necessarily prefer to select smaller attacking players - during his lengthy and successful period with Canterbury he usually had one sizeable midfielder outside either five-eighths Andrew Mehrtens or Daniel Carter, including the 101kg Casey Laulala and 109kg Norm Berryman. And centre Aaron Mauger, at 93kg and 182cm, wasn't exactly tiny.
In Australia, there is hardly a long line of large or threatening back-up centres, wingers or fullbacks.
Stirling Mortlock is the most obvious man to build up the Wallabies bulk, but there is uncertainty over when he will play again. Queensland Reds centre Will Chambers, at 100kg, is also injured. Other back-ups - Berrick Barnes, Peter Hynes and Kurtley Beale - aren't exactly gargantuan.
Anthony Faingaa, just one kilogram heavier than Giteau, is an extremely strong option to move into the Australian midfield at inside-centre during the Tri-Nations, possibly as soon as the first round against the Springboks in Brisbane on July 24 after being solid during the Australian Barbarians campaign last month.
Ryan Cross, at 99kg and 1.91m, is one possibility, but he missed out on the original Wallabies extended squad and may struggle again to make it when the 30-man Tri-Nations squad is announced on Thursday, especially as Deans appears eager to pursue youth.
Instead, Deans is clearly hoping pace and ingenuity will work in the team's favour. While keeping a close eye on Faingaa, including watching him play in Brisbane club football last weekend, Deans will also be waiting impatiently for centre-winger Digby Ioane to overcome his shoulder problems. Apart from being 93kg, Ioane is one of the few Wallabies midfielders to constantly threaten, and constantly runs straight.
Not surprisingly, the Wee Wallabies find themselves neglected in Tri-Nations discussions. It appears all New Zealand are worried about is confronting the Springboks. Over the next two weeks, the All Blacks meet the Springboks in Auckland and Wellington.
As former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick wrote in The New Zealand Herald on the weekend: ''The Springboks scare me. They are not only a top side in good form, they have depth and, as I have noted before, depth in experience.''
The Wallabies can only wish they were either in form or had such sizeable depth.
