(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Saturday night saw Australia beat a French team 22-6 which arrived on the strength of a drawn series with the All Blacks, including a sporting rarity in the form of a victory at the 'House of Pain' in Dunedin, with a disciplined performance relying on the quality of their defence and the work of George Smith at the breakdown.
The fact that Australia's points were all contributed by their star fly half Matt Giteau will not have gone unnoticed to their Tri Nations competitors and this result is the latest that points to an Australian victory in the upcoming southern hemisphere showpiece.
Giteau is currently on effervescent form, cutting teams to ribbons with his running, sleight of hand and intelligent play with the boot. Witness his now patented 'kick pass' to Drew Mitchell on the open side wing in the first few minutes of the encounter or the innumerable times he has cut across field in search of a man running a hard switch line, only to suddenly straighten and break the defensive line himself. In the absence of Carter he is looking like the world's premier stand off and easily the most creative player in world rugby.
Australia now closely echo the recent Crusaders sides that Robbie Deans has assembled over the years in the use of a first and second five eight in the midfield dictating play with the possible addition of another creative player at full back; a role is is not difficult to anticipate James O'Connor fulfilling in years to come. In this system the role of Berrick Barnes as the second five eight is not to be underestimated.
Barnes has come of age as an international and has come to be regarded as a senior member of the Australia squad, despite having accumulated only 16 caps, and he shares the playmaking and kicking duties with Giteau.
In tandem the two are providing Australia's outside backs with countless attacking opportunities that have seen off a star-studded Barbarians outfit that England struggled to dispatch as well as Italy and France by respectable margins.
Barnes' ability to kick off either foot acts as a foil to Giteau's left boot and the two dictate the team's play between them. The upcoming Tri Nations will prove whether this combination is potent enough to restore Australia back to the summit of world rugby.
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