Wallabies linchpin Matt Giteau has recently been going to the same school that produced All Blacks champion Dan Carter, and the lessons are starting to sink in.
Giteau will face off with opposite number Carter in Saturday's Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup clash for the first time since Carter's long time coach Robbie Deans became Giteau's mentor.
Asked what the former Crusaders boss, who played some flyhalf himself, had brought to his game, Giteau said: "Just more of an awareness I think (of) what's around me, looking up a lot more, looking for mismatches which is something that I do but looking at it more regularly."
Carter is uncertain how much of Giteau's recent sparkling form is attributable to Deans.
"I don't know if that's Robbie's influence or not," NZPA reported the All Blacks five-eighth as saying.
"He's a classy player, he's always been right up there.
"Obviously he hasn't played a lot of Test football at 10 but he's been given that opportunity and he's played extremely well."
Giteau did his five-eighth apprenticeship alongside Wallaby legend Stephen Larkham but, since Larkham moved on, has been favourably compared with Carter in Australia's four-Test unbeaten run under Deans.
"In my mind (Carter's) probably the best flyhalf in the world so it's always great to compare yourself against these players," Giteau said.
"I just think his composure, he seems very composed when he's out there playing.
"He's got all the skills. He's got a great kicking game, obviously can pass really well and if he needs to run he's got good feet and a good fend and he's quite fast.
"There's no real weaknesses."
South Africa, though, may disagree after they scored their first win in Dunedin in 87 years of trying two weeks ago.
"We've obviously looked at the game and looked at certain things," Giteau said.
"When I review a team I obviously review my position, the person that I'm playing against but you also look at what they do more from a team point of view.
"If you can get to any flyhalf and disrupt him it makes a big difference to how the team operate but ... you don't go out there focused just on one player."
And Giteau is far from obsessed with earning Carter's reputation for being the world's best No.10.
"I more just judge myself on how the team performs," he said.
"If we're playing well, if we're winning games, I'm performing my role that's all I care about.
"Individual honours and stuff like that isn't something I look for, I more just look for how the team's performing and then base myself on that."
