ACT Brumbies coach Andy Friend has defended Matt Giteau's place as the Wallabies' chief playmaker, but added Giteau's mooted positional switch to inside centre at Test level could be made at Super14 next year.
Wallabies great Tim Horan joined yesterday a growing number of pundits calling for Giteau to shift from flyhalf to inside centre to help Australia climb out of its deep form trough.
The Wallabies have lost the past four Test matches, crashing out of Tri Nations contention and giving up the Bledisloe Cup to New Zealand for the seventh year in a row.
In last weekend's loss to South Africa in Perth, the Wallabies seemed to fire only after Giteau had switched to inside centre outside Quade Cooper.
Horan, arguably Australia's greatest inside centre, said Giteau would be more danger to the Springboks' defence in Brisbane this weekend if he was playing outside Cooper or fellow Queenslander Berrick Barnes.
''I think it was evident when Quade came on the space he was able to provide to Giteau wider because of the passes that he was throwing,'' Horan said.
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