Gregan and Larkham together until the end

By CHRIS RATTUE

George Gregan and Stephen Larkham are the most celebrated pairing of halves in Australia's rugby history.

Certainly, in an era with more international competitions, they have the silverware to mark their place in history.

While at central control for Australia and the Brumbies, they have won the World Cup and kept their province near or at the top of the Super 12 and in the vanguard of tactics.

Yet in what could be their crowning moment - the campaign to keep the Webb Ellis Cup on home soil - their places are being questioned in a misfiring team.

Chris Whitaker has been championed at halfback ahead of the 30-year-old Gregan, who played his first test 10 seasons ago.

David Campese created enough smoke on his own to have many believing Gregan should be fired, although Campo doused his own flames this week.

As the semifinal against New Zealand looms, Campese made a patriotic gesture and backed Gregan's leadership.

And the 29-year-old Larkham, with the languid personality and loping running style, has a challenger in the sharp-running Matt Giteau whose game may be more suited to current trends.

A country that delights in labelling the English as "Dad's Army" has pondered whether their star halves have also taken a few steps too far.

"Don't panic," has been coach Eddie Jones' response as he retains the duo with more than 150 tests between them.

In Gregan's case, the accusation is that he is not taking enough steps on the field anymore. The Wallaby captain hardly runs, playing the conductor rather than drumming a beat.

Working behind an average pack that lacks powerful ball runners, Gregan supplies little momentum, which is in stark contrast to what the much bigger Justin Marshall is doing for the All Blacks.

Larkham may have taken too many strides over the years.

Where Gregan exudes glamour, Larkham looks like a lower grade battler.

He has an ungainly running style, and in his dowdy headgear looks more like a lightweight club loose forward than a star test man.

That eye-hugging headgear though is a mark of the 86kg flyhalf's courage. His unique running style, taking the ball flat and finding holes that no one else sees, has left a string of opponents in tatters.

He can bewilder defences through an array of short kicks which look like shots Tiger Woods invents for his wedges.

He also has wonderful ball skills and is as unflappable as Gregan is prone to outbursts at referees.

Larkham of course has one of the most endearing, and revealing, nicknames in rugby.

He escaped Stevie or Larks and got Bernie, after the very placid character (he was actually dead) in the movie A Weekend at Bernie's.

One problem for Larkham is the changing nature of the game.

He likes to take the ball near increasingly competent defensive lines, but it is now common for backlines to stand deeper.

This might suit pivots with sudden changes of pace and direction, like Carlos Spencer and Giteau, who can pick when to run without getting tied up in phase play.

As Wallaby backline coach Glen Ella revealed this week, the less momentum from the forwards, the more the Wallaby backline must stand back.

It is imperative that Larkham gets quick ruck ball to flow on to.

Furthermore, the many hits he has taken may have blunted his game.

At the last World Cup, Larkham produced maybe the greatest drop goal in history, launching the ball from 50m (still his only test field goal) to break an extra time deadlock against South Africa at Twickenham. He knows how to produce in the major moments.

In the final, Gregan's runs brought second-half tries in a victory against France in Cardiff.

While Gregan's running instincts appear gone, they remain in Larkham's blood. If his forwards do more than just make a stand, he might still inspire the dangerous runners outside him.

If Bernie lives, then the All Blacks could face an unexpected semifinal death.

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