Robbie Deans insisted it was "nonsense" he had any issue with Matt Giteau after denying the long-time Wallabies golden boy one last shot at claiming some meaningful rugby silverware.
Despite playing 92 tests, most alongside some of the all-time greats of the game, and collecting a swag of major individual awards along the way, France-bound Giteau will end his Wallabies career without having won any of the team prizes that matter most after being formally overlooked for World Cup selection.
Barring a minor miracle, the two-times World Cup representative will head to Toulon without ever hoisting the Webb Ellis Trophy, drinking from the Bledisloe Cup or holding the Tri-Nations crown aloft.
"There's tough calls every time and there's a number of good players who obviously have been unlucky," Deans said of the classy midfielder's controversial omission.
It has been widely speculated that Deans and Giteau haven't seen eye to eye since the coach preferred Berrick Barnes as his vice-captain for the ill-fated 2009 grand slam tour of Britain.
