Giffin's return a boost for Wallabies

7.45pm

SYDNEY - Australia's stuttering World Cup defence received a welcome boost today when vice-captain David Giffin passed a fitness test clearing him to play in Saturday's semi-final against the All Blacks.

The Wallabies had already suffered a major blow in the lead-up to the match when utility back Matt Giteau was ruled out with an ankle injury but were breathing a little easier when Giffin was given the thumbs up.

Giffin will play off the bench because of concerns about his stamina after first suffering a shoulder injury then a leg problem.

"He is the vice-captain of the side, a lineout leader and a guy with great experience and the last 20 minutes of the game against New Zealand are probably going to be the crucial 20 minutes of the game," said coach Eddie Jones.

Despite having the advantage of playing at home, the Wallabies have virtually been written off as contenders this time after a series of mixed performances through the pool stage and last weekend's 33-16 quarter-final win over Scotland.

Bookmakers have listed them as the rank outsiders of the four remaining teams and local media have criticised their every word and action.

Former internationals have poked fun at the current crop of players and the public even booed them off the field at halftime in the match with Scotland when they went to the break level.

Jones, who has borne the brunt of the criticism, has defended his players against the attacks and remains surprisingly upbeat about his team's prospects.

"The external expectation is not high, the internal expectation is very high," he said.

"We can really enjoy the occasion and maybe, and I'm just speculating, that it might allow us to play with a little bit more freedom."

The Wallabies have struggled in two important parts of their game.

Their lineouts have been inconsistent, partly because of their decision to sacrifice a jumper by fielding two specialist openside flankers, while their ball handling has been poor.

Their star-studded backline, which includes three former rugby league internationals, has squandered at least a dozen tries so far through bad passes and dropped balls.

Assistant coach Glen Ella said the players were determined to slience their critics with a good performance.

"The guys have read the press, they know what's out there," Ella said.

"They want to to prove the press wrong and show the general public that we can play rugby the way the public want us to."

Wallabies hooker Brendan Cannon, the find of the season, said the pressure of playing at home had affected some of the players but there was no anxiety at the thought of playing New Zealand.

While some countries are often intimidated just by the thought of confronting the All Blacks, they hold no such fears for the Australians who play them so regularly.

"We don't fear them, but we have an enormous amount of respect for them," Cannon said.

"We're probably a lot more relaxed this week, we knew a semi-final against New Zealand was a possibility before the World Cup."

The Australians have been preparing at their Coffs Harbour training base since Sunday but will fly to Sydney on Thursday to put the finishing touches on their build-up.

They have, however, already suffered one loss to the All Blacks with the New Zealanders winning a coin toss to decide who gets the home dressing room.

- REUTERS

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