Wallabies will be no walkover says Deans
FORMER Australia head coach Robbie Deans believes England will be in for a stern test against a resurgent Wallabies in the July Test series.
England head Down Under for the first time since their 3-0 series win back in 2016 but they face a new look Wallaby side.
Eddie Jones’ side have won their last eight matches against Australia since that tour but Deans, who led the Wallabies 74 times between 2007-2013, expects a closer series this time.
“Eddie will be expecting to win but it won’t be straightforward,” said Deans, now coach of the Saitama (Panasonic) Wild Knights who last week claimed the Japan Rugby League One title.
“To win in Australia will be tough. The French last year failed to win the series; okay it was their second or third combination, but it was still a very good combination, and this Australia team are lifting their ambitions. They’re getting better around the contact areas and are not going to roll over. No Australian team is going to roll over against England in Australia.”
The Wallabies lost all three of their Autumn Nations games to Scotland, England and Wales but their Super Rugby sides appear to have narrowed the gap on their Kiwi foes.
The Brumbies, Waratahs and Reds qualified for the knockout stages of the competition and Deans, right, says bleeding young players through Super Rugby will benefit the national side in years to come.
He said: “You can only take so much punishment when you’re a proud sporting nation like Australia, they were always going to respond. They’ve exposed a lot of young players to
Super Rugby and they’re on the incline. The international team are going to benefit from that because as a result they’ll have more depth and more competition.
“One thing you can be sure of is the Wallabies will have a plan. It’s a great opportunity to give access to players. It’s a year before a World Cup, so everyone will be keen to make that, and it’s a chance to mix up combinations, provide experience and provide opportunities. It’s a no-lose situation.”
After a disappointing third place finish in this year’s Six Nations with just eight tries scored, England’s misfiring attack has received criticism. Deans believes Jones faces a difficult task in selecting the right combinations to unlock defences due to an embarrassment of riches in his squad depth.
Deans said: “Everyone is founded on structure because there has to be a method, you can’t just play 15 players instinctively as individuals. There must be a form of cohesion that’s built over time and that’s Eddie’s biggest challenge.
“He has so many players to pick from and so many that have distinct points of difference, that settling on who he wants to start and who he puts into that will be tough.
“New Zealand approached the last World Cup with speed as their point of difference but ultimately were blunted. The Champions Cup final last weekend was a great insight into what’s coming as it was basically Ireland versus France with their respected methods. La Rochelle defended resolutely and with less ball they scored more.” Deans has overseen the Wild Knights since 2014 and last weekend secured his fourth Japanese league title with a 18-12 win over Tokyo Sungoliath in the grand final.
His squad included recently retired former England lock George Kruis, Wales international Hadleigh Parkes and Wallaby Marika Koroibete, who all combined with a vast amount of homegrown Japanese talent. Aside from two Covid cancellations, Deans’ side are enjoying one of the longest win streaks globally in any professional sport, having won 32 consecutive matches in a run that dates back to 2019.
The former All Black added: “This is perfection. I’m coaching internationals every day, a mix of nationalities which makes it a lot of fun. It’s like coaching the Barbarians every week, there’s a lot of humour in the group and they’re rubbing shoulders with the boys who have played at the pinnacle of the game. Some are at the end of their international careers, but they understand the game inside and out and know what works.
“We’re not interested in people who are motivated for the wrong reasons as it doesn’t work. The secret is having good people around you and we’ve got that in spades, on and off the field.
“My coaching staff are former players and really understand what we’re all about after coming through the system and have grown as coaches. All of my conversations are in the office, not on the training field. We’ve built a good leadership group. The players take a real onus on the setup and see it as a privilege.”