Deans prepares to face All Blacks
PREPARING a mandate that instructs the Barbarians to help Julian Savea create mayhem against the All Blacks will be just one task for Robbie Deans to complete in London next week.
Deans, who will coach the Barbarians in the match arranged to mark New Zealand Rugby’s 125th anniversary on Sunday morning (NZT), isn’t expecting miracles from his men against the All Blacks but if he can formulate a plan to get 54-test wing Savea in a position to do some damage who knows what could happen at Twickenham?
Given he must meld players from all points of the globe, including New Zealanders Andy Ellis, Richie Mo’unga, Mitchell Drummond, Dominic Bird, Atu Moli, Dillon Hunt and Savea, Deans, who has also recruited Crusaders coach Scott Robertson as his assistant, is aware of the enormity of the task at ‘‘HQ’’.
But he wants to make one thing crystal clear. His team of Barbarians won’t be treating this fixture as a jolly.
‘‘It is a great opportunity for those blokes, to play against their own people,’’ Deans said.‘‘And for Julian, obviously, it is really important to him. For his peers - his team-mates - that won’t be wasted on them. They have really got to give him the best possible platform to have a good outing.’’
Given first five-eighth Richie Mo’unga played under Deans with the Barbarians last year, and that Robertson can also provide insights into the Crusaders playmaker’s strengths, there is a real chance he will start against the All Blacks.
Because captain Kieran Read, Sonny Bill Williams, Sam Whitelock and Dane Coles are among a group permitted to stay at home for an extra week, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen won’t select a full-strength side for the opening game of the tour.
In theory that should give the Barbarians more hope of creating a boilover. Deans isn’t buying that argument.
‘‘We have got to be realistic,’’ he says. ‘‘No, we shouldn’t [beat them]. But we will respect this. Our want is to participate and contribute to, hopefully, what is a great spectacle.
‘‘We will give it a good crack. The reality is we shouldn’t win. But hopefully we can add to the occasion.’’