Marco Caputo pulled off one of Gungahlin Eagles' best signings in his Fyshwick cafe but Matt Giteau's first game of club rugby in 14 years has been delayed by a week.
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Gungahlin was meant to host the Canberra Royals in a round-five clash on Saturday afternoon, but the match was called off due to Griffith Oval not being fit for purpose.
The John I Dent Cup match had already been moved from Nicholls Enclosed Oval as a result of last week's heavy rain.
Giteau's return to club rugby was sparked by frequent visits to the Fyshwick Markets, where he orders coffee from his old ACT Brumbies forwards coach Caputo.
The Wallabies centurion and his wife Bianca became regular customers of Piccolo Market Coffee when the coronavirus-forced Japanese Top League shutdown brought them back to Australia.
They initially came home in February for a brief trip to visit family, but six months later Giteau can still be found sipping coffee in Canberra.
His longer-than-expected homecoming has brought his remarkable career full-circle to where it all started in the John I Dent Cup.
An offer from Gungahlin Eagles coach Caputo proved too irresistible as coronavirus fears continue to grow, putting his 20-year professional career on hold.
"Matt comes into my shop with his wife Bianca regularly. They have coffee, we talk and it grew from there," Caputo said.
"I told him 'if you ever get itchy feet and want to play footy locally, we'd love to have you.'
"What Matt is interested in and the attraction of him coming to us was we've got some young players in key positions. I thought he would add a lot of value around them, we've got a very young nine-and-ten combination and outside backs as well.
"Having someone who's played over 100 Tests for your country, they don't come along too often. He was really interested in bringing those guys along and help grow their game."
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The last time Giteau pulled on a Canberra club jersey was when he broke his thumb playing against Gungahlin for the Queanbeyan Whites in 2006.
It's the only thing Caputo had to talk him around when he first considered joining the John I Dent Cup club.
The 103-capped Wallaby put the bad memory behind him when he walked through the gates at Nicholls Enclosed Oval to meet his new teammates for the first time this week.
"A number of guys were doing double takes and weren't quite sure what they were seeing," Caputo said.
"They weren't really sure whether it was going to happen. Credit to Matt, he didn't want a big fuss or anything made. He wanted to keep it as low key as possible.
"He was very adamant he didn't want to come in and take control, he wanted to ease his way back in. He hasn't played since February, so we'll let him find his feet slowly.
"His presence here is going to make players better. It's just the little conversations on the side... having someone who is world class being able to give players tips on the run is just invaluable."
The 37-year-old fly-half is in the midst of a remarkable 20th season as a professional player and is yet to decide on his future.
His time with Japanese powerhouse Suntory Sungoliath was brought to an end as a result of COVID-19. He's since been linked to the United State's Major League Rugby competition.
Gungahlin sit fifth on the John I Dent Cup ladder with a sole win and three losses, but are only one point behind the fourth-placed Royals.
The reigning premiers are eager to claim back-to-back victories after a slow start the season, which saw them lose two matches by only two points.
Royals coach Wayne Southwell is pleased with how his side has responded and says they're back into the swing of things.
"Last week's win was really important, as is this weekend. The enjoyment factor has come back into it and the guys have really trained well over the past fortnight, so I'm really pleased with how they've responded," Southwell said.
"Gungahlin are always a tough side and it's always been a physical game. There's never much between the two sides and there's a lot to play for this weekend."
JOHN I DENT CUP
Round five - Saturday: Gungahlin Eagles v Canberra Royals at Griffith Oval, 3.05pm. Wests v Queanbeyan Whites at Jamison Oval, 3.15pm, Tuggeranong Vikings v Uni-Norths Owls at Viking Park, 3.05pm