French Top 14 club Toulon, known for their significant spending, welcomed two notable signings in their off-season: former Wallabies fly-half Matt Giteau and experienced England lock Simon Shaw, who both trained with their new teammates for the first time last week.
At 29 years old and with 92 caps for Australia, Giteau was left out of the Rugby World Cup squad, and his absence was felt when first-choice fly-half Quade Cooper struggled during the tournament.
Although he wasn’t selected for the World Cup, Giteau had to wait until his contract with the Australian Rugby Union ended before joining Toulon.
“I don’t know what to expect, but I’m very excited,” stated Giteau, who has French ancestry through his great-grandfather.
“It’s been quite a while since I last played, and I’m eager to get started.”
“My most recent match was a friendly against Samoa, in which the Wallabies lost 23-22 back in July.”
“I’m in great shape, and I hope to participate in the match against Castres on November 26.”
“As for the World Cup, that’s behind me, although I would have loved to be part of it,” he added, noting that he is under a three-year contract and is reuniting with childhood friend and former Wallabies scrum-half Matt Henjak.
When asked about the region in France his great-grandfather came from, Giteau admitted he was unsure.
“My great-grandfather migrated to Australia many years ago. I’m not sure of his exact origin.”
by Buford Balony
