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Sydney - Australia centre Matt Giteau says
he has no regrets about coming out of international retirement ahead of their
Rugby Championship campaign.
The 33-year-old, who had called time on
Test duty after the Rugby World Cup, was frustrated at being forced off injured
in the final loss.
And it is partly for that reason that he
once again laces up his boots for the Wallabies, who face the All Blacks in
Sydney this Saturday.
"You really do only live once,"
the Toulon playmaker told the media in Rushcutters Bay earlier in the week
ahead of this opener fixture.
"If I had stayed back in France, I
possibly could have regrets, whereas by coming here I give it a crack. Whatever
happens, but at least I'll have no regrets. That was a big one for me to just
come back here and give it one more crack.
"You aren't given too many
opportunities in life to do things like this. For me I thought this was a real
special one."
Australia head coach Michael Cheika flew to
France to meet with Giteau, Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper and the former
player admitted it became an easy decision to return after June's series loss
to the English.
"I knew when I watched the boys play
against England in June that I wanted to be involved. What you want to do and
what you can do are two totally different things. I was given the opportunity
by Cheika to come back and of course I took it," he added.
He now starts at centre alongside Tevita
Kuridrani against the All Blacks, who the veteran knows are the biggest test a
player can face.
"They are the pinnacle of rugby at the
moment," he said.
“You only have to look at Super Rugby to
know that. Four of their five teams were right up there.
"They are the most consistent team. They've got the most depth. It's going to be hard. It's going to be tough but with the players and coaching staff we've got, and as hard as the players are working we definitely have the team to put up a very good fight."
