Giteau gaffe may come back to haunt Deans

AT last, the waiting is over. The Rugby World Cup squads have been announced and the players can get down to the business of fine-tuning their games for the challenges ahead.

In the southern hemisphere the Tri-Nations allowed the selection process to be done in the white heat of real battle with competition points and a trophy at stake. During the competition both New Zealand and South Africa chopped and changed their combinations while Australia, after an embarrassing loss to Samoa, went with what coach Robbie Deans considered to be his best team for every match.

The Wallabies’ RWC build-up has revealed a surprising lack of the depth and Ireland are arguably a bit unlucky to be meeting them in only the second game when Australia’s top-line players will be still reasonably fresh.