Rugby World Cup
Wallabies have a new trio, just don't give them a nickname
Sam Bruce
October 11, 2015
Australia 15-6 Wales (Australia only)

The days of the 'Three Amigos' may be a distant memory but another trio has emerged as key players in Australia's Rugby World Cup challenge; they're just not keen on group nicknames.

Drew Mitchell joined regular World Cup starters Adam Ashley-Cooper and Matt Giteau at Twickenham on Saturday, when the Wallabies produced an almighty defensive effort to repel Wales and secure themselves a quarterfinal date with Scotland on Sunday.

Standing in for the injured Rob Horne, Mitchell made one fine counter-attacking run during the first half while Giteau and Ashley-Cooper's experience proved invaluable as Wales applied the blowtorch to a 13-man Wallabies side. But the two-time champions survived and went on to claim a memorable 15-6 triumph at Twickenham.

"It was good fun," Mitchell told ESPN of his return to the starting side. "We would have liked to have probably had a bit more ball, but that's just how the game panned out."

With doubts over Horne's recovery, Mitchell may find himself arm in arm with his great mates -- and the rest of the Wallabies -- at the same venue again next week "To go out there and be in the privileged position that we're in, and to do it with some of your great mates, it's a pretty special thing to do," Mitchell said.

Australia's Drew Mitchell celebrates victory, Australia v Wales, Rugby World Cup, Twickenham Stadium, London, October 10, 2015
Australia's Drew Mitchell celebrates victory © Getty Images
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Mitchell and Giteau will soon be joined in France by Ashley-Cooper, with the Wallabies vice-captain making his way to Bordeaux-Begles at the conclusion of the World Cup. The trio will surely make the most of what time they can find together between matches -- Giteau and Mitchell play for Toulon -- but they won't be adopting any aliases then, or during the World Cup, unlike Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper and James O'Connor who were dubbed the 'Three Amigos' during a turbulent couple of years under former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.

"We don't need a moniker," Mitchell said. "I think had you asked us, maybe 10 years ago, we probably would have liked one. But now that we're all 31 and over, we'll leave that for the younger boys."

Australia deliver defensive masterclass
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The plaudits have come thick and fast for their superb defensive effort against Wales on Saturday, but Mitchell isn't getting carried away.

"It's certainly a great result for us and certainly the way we went about things, but I'm reluctant to kind of look back on it already and start placing it because I would hope that there are bigger things for us to achieve in the next few weeks," Mitchell told ESPN.

"But it's certainly going to be something that we're going to be able to draw from going forward to this week now that we're playing Scotland. And, yeah, I guess it was just a spirited performance from the boys; and it was a special one to be involved in."

The Wallabies will have the benefit of an extra day's recovery with their quarterfinal to be played on Sunday.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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