SN1|Ep32 - The Sports Lounge Big Lou - Matt Giteau, LA Giltinis

Today in The Sports Lounge Big Lou Welcomes Matt Giteau from the Los Angeles Giltinis! Matt Giteau is one of the most-decorated Australian rugby players in history, with a career spanning many countries and almost two decades. The flyhalf has plenty of sporting pedigree in his family. HIs father Ron played professional rugby league, his sister Kristy is a dual code international and wife Bianca is a former top flight netballer. Giteau grew up in Canberra and attended St Edmund’s College, a school that also counts George Gregan among its alumni. It was at St Edmund’s where he first played rugby seriously Giteau is one of just two players to have made his Wallabies debut before he made his Super Rugby debut. The talented back played his first Test in 2002 against England on that year’s Spring Tour. From there he became a regular fixture on the Test stage when he was fully fit, featuring in the first of three Rugby World Cups less than a year later. Giteau started his Super Rugby career with the Brumbies, playing 40 matches over the six seasons he was with the team. He made a cross-country move ahead of the 2007 season, signing with new side the Western Force in Perth. He spent three seasons with the Force before returning to the Brumbies in 2010. It was in 2011 when Giteau faced a career crossroads, left out of the World Cup squad by then Test coach Robbie Deans. With no clarity on his Test future, Giteau signed a deal in France with Toulon and seemingly walked away from any further international opportunities. GIteau starred in the Top 14 competition with Toulon, winning three consecutive Champions Cup titles with the French glamour club. HIs form in France earned him a recall into the Wallabies fold, a move that required the creation of a new international eligibility clause dubbed the ‘Giteau Law’. After playing a part in the Wallabies’ run to the Rugby World CUp final, Giteau made a brief appearance in the 2016 Bledisloe Cup series before an injury ultimately forced him into international retirement. After finishing his stint with Toulon, Giteau made the switch to Japan, winning a Top League trophy with Suntory. His time with the Sungoliath finished at the end of the 2020 Japanese season, which was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. Feeling a bit unfulfilled by the ending in Japan, he’s excited about writing another in Los Angeles. Giteau had moved back to Canberra with Bianca and their two sons Levi and Kai and also recently welcomed a daughter, Winter. www.lagiltinis.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices