Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent | May 12, 2009


STILL clearly irritated that Australia wasted two good chances to beat the All Blacks last year, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans yesterday said his side must take a new direction this season and win the tight Tests.

Deans knows the mark of a great team is its ability to win the close Tests. Like countless dominant All Blacks sides through the decades, Australia's successful 1991 and 1999 World Cup teams were masters of consistently getting up in the final minutes of major internationals.

That is why Deans was devastated last September when the Wallabies fell just short of beating the All Blacks in Brisbane, losing 28-24. Deans found it just as infuriating when the Wallabies were beaten by New Zealand 19-14 in Hong Kong and then lost 21-18 to Wales in Cardiff a few weeks later.

Deans, who will shortly name his 30-man Wallabies squad for the June internationals, warned his side would have to change its habits or the Wallabies would remain among the also-rans.

"There will be a new direction out of necessity," Deans said yesterday. "If you don't keep adding to what you're doing, you just keep getting further behind. We're not in front. We're chasing. Because of that, we have to be better, to bring something we didn't have last year. That's the plan.

"There are a couple of obvious qualities we need to add. We're going to have to go the distance this year. We've put ourselves in contention, and came close to getting some outcomes we would have enjoyed, but ultimately came up short.

"Whether that's physical or mental, it doesn't matter, we're going to have to be deserving for longer than last year."

In this respect, Deans has been buoyed by the character shown by several of the Australian Super 14 teams - in particular the Waratahs and Brumbies, who are finals threats.

He said one of the most distinguishing features of the Australian provinces this season had been "the development of some resilience".

"The Brumbies are living proof of that resilience," Deans said. "They are a group who have experienced pain and fought their way through it, turning those challenges to their own advantage. They are starting to produce some consistency.

"The Waratahs have also had to show resilience. They've had to persevere, not only in terms of the off-field scrutiny, but also some of the on-field challenges. They've worked hard to be in the position they're in, where they can still win the competition.

"The Force came up short [of the finals], which will frustrate them. But they, too, came through a background of challenge and still put themselves within cooee. The Reds have suffered significantly with injury, but they will be a formidable team next year, and they are not that far away."


Deans, who was involved in seven Crusaders triumphs in Super rugby, is impressed enough with the character of the Brumbies and Waratahs to believe that if they make the finals, they can go on to win the tournament.

"If you look over time at the teams who have done well [in the Super tournament] and how they have qualified, it is often those who have come with a background of adversity that have pushed on," he said.

"They come in with a psyche of developed toughness, but also with an outlook of getting an opportunity they didn't think they were going to have."

Deans said there would not be too many new faces in the Wallabies squad. He added that due to depth in some positions, several recent Test players could miss out. No one had been guaranteed a spot.

"There's no guarantees for any player," he said. "And they don't want a guarantee. Nothing is forever. The day a player wakes up in the morning and they're not excited about it, well, that is not a good scene - particularly if they're blokes who have a guaranteed spot."

While Test captain and centre Stirling Mortlock is under some threat after being played out of position by the Brumbies on the wing, he is still favoured to lead the Wallabies this year.

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