THE lure of being considered a future Wallabies captain, possibly at the next World Cup, will be used to appease Matt Giteau as the Australian Rugby Union moves to stop any plans of him accepting almost $10 million to play in France.
Although in-form Australian skipper Stirling Mortlock is hoping to stick around until the 2011 World Cup, there are some doubts over whether, in three seasons' time, he will still be playing high-intensity football at the age of 34 and officials have privately been considering other long-term captaincy options.
Among those high on the list is Giteau, whose poise and standout performances on this end-of-season tour have seen him suddenly be regarded as a future leader.
Giteau confirmed at the weekend that he had received a four-season offer worth $9.6 million to play for French side Bayonne, but there is one crucial sticking point — the only way he can take up the offer is if the ARU release him from his contract.
And that will not happen. Giteau is contracted until the end of the 2011 season and, under International Rugby Board regulations, to play overseas, he needs an ARU release. Without that release, the overseas club or province is prevented from registering him, and so cannot play him.
Giteau cannot do what rugby league's Sonny Bill Williams did and walk away from his contract because the IRB laws binds all rugby nations. Legal action by Giteau is also not an option as the IRB can ban Bayonne if it plays him.
The only choice Giteau has is to ask the ARU for an early release and the ARU will show no interest in that, as it does not want to lose its prime playmaker, who, a few days ago, was described by former Welsh star Jonathan Davies as the world's best No. 10. The ARU look upon Giteau as one of its key leaders in its 2011 World Cup campaign.
Unlike the New Zealand Rugby Union, which has allowed All Blacks five-eighth Daniel Carter a "sabbatical" to play in France, the ARU has no interest in following a similar course.
The ARU wants its key players involved in the Super 14 tournament and strictly stipulates that only those who are part of the local competitions are eligible to play for the Wallabies.
