Matt Giteau has claimed that England are making a mistake by not including "eighth wonder of the world" Steffon Armitage in their plans for the World Cup.
The policy of not picking players from overseas clubs has attracted criticism, and Australia's Giteau admits that he finds it difficult to understand why England would not want his Toulon teammate in their squad.
"Steff is like an eighth wonder of the world!" Giteua is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "He is a short little fat man that can do everything! He's quick, he can kick, he has ball skills and he defends well and gets around.
"You need to pick the best 30 players that the coach believes will win the World Cup. I don't see any benefit in not picking your best team. If you know you have a good player, why not just pick them? Other than pride?
"Having said that, Stuart Lancaster might think that Steff isn't in his best 30. He may be picking his best 30. But for me, an outsider looking in, I believe he would have to be in that top 30 in England."
Giteau's fellow Australian Drew Mitchell has labelled England "naive" for not picking Armitage.
Callum Mulvihill
