Deans cagey but confident about Wallabies potential

 
Spiro Zavos Columnist

By , 20 May 2010 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert

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Australian rugby union player Will Genia at Wallabies training. AAP Image/Paul Miller

Australian rugby union player Will Genia at Wallabies training. AAP Image/Paul Miller

The ARU mixed business with rugby on Wednesday when Lexus opened its new showroom in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, and announced its sponsorship of the Wallabies. The catch for the reptiles of the rugby media was that Robbie Deans, Will Genia and Rocky Elsom were available at a press conference and then for a chat.

This system, or the press conference part of it, is generally unhelpful for most journalists because you don’t want to ‘waste’ your best questions for the rest of the pack to hear. However, some interesting bits and pieces that have, or might have, some relevance over the coming months seemed to offer themselves for scrutiny.

Before the press conference, I stood close to Will Genia.

One of my favourite sayings is that “even the small players in rugby now are big.” But Genia is small. Chunky and muscular, yes, but small of stature: shorter than me, who stands about 5’7″ on tip toes on a good day.

The wonder of this is that on the field he plays very big: he knocks over the massive forwards; puts his shoulder into charges; and knocks tacklers flying. He is fearless and efficient under the high ball.

He is a fierce competitor and a future Wallaby captain.

Currently he is out for five weeks with knee damage. He hopes to be back in time for the June Tests. We have to hope that the ‘big’ way in which he plays (in comparison with the un-confrontational Gregan method) does not expose him to too many damaging hits.

I told one of the Lexus marketing men that it was pointless rolling out their best cars for the rugby journalists because most of us have never owned a car that was built in the same decade in which it was purchased.

We were here, therefore, to concentrate on rugby matter, and there was some interesting stuff from Robbie Deans.

He was asked whether he had made a decision about the Wallaby captain for the season. He had, he told us, and he wasn’t going to tell us who the player was. “To be announced,” he said.

I’d be surprised if Deans moved away from Rocky Elsom, even though Genia presents an attractive option. At the Crusaders, Deans preferred his captain to come from the loose forwards.

Deans said that this season finds the Wallabies in a better place than last year.

In 2009, no Australian team was in the Super 14 finals and stand-out players this season like Genia had yet to play their first game for the Wallabies. In 2010, the Waratahs are in the finals, and three of the Australian teams are in the top six Super 14 list.

He did make the cautionary point, though, that no fewer than 15 players (“a pretty good side could be selected from them”) were unavailable to the Wallaby selectors because of injuries.

Deans said he welcomed the 20 matches the Wallabies would play this year because this represents the last chance to work with the squad for some time before the Rugby World Cup. There is an extended Super 15 tournament next year, then the Tri-Nations, and almost immediately afterwards, the RWC tournament.

Asked whether it was now time for him “to deliver,” Deans replied in his typical cagey, but confident, almost cryptic manner: “No argument here. We’ll be chasing trophies. I won’t say anything beyond that. But, yes, we are capable of achieving trophies.”

Deans was then asked to comment on the intriguing suggestion by All Black great Chris Laidlaw that he was an “All Blacks coach in waiting.”

He gave a non-committal answer: “We never know what is around the corner.”

Just on another Wallaby matter, I was told by a good source at the press conference that it is unlikely that Deans will play Kurtley Beale (at fullback) and Quade Cooper (at five-eighths) in the same side. The issue is the defence of both players, or rather, their lack of defence.

The source suggested that Beale was likely to be named as fullback, meaning that Cooper would play for the Wallabies off the bench.

Deans was more forthcoming (as far as he can be, or is willing to be) on the possible outcome of the two Super 14 finals this weekend. He was asked about the Bulls tanking their match last week against the Stormers and whether he would have done this.

“Once you get off the horse,” he said, “it is difficult to get back on again.” He went on to suggest, too, that the Crusaders had an advantage of sorts of not having to play at Loftus Versfeld.

He reckoned that the Waratahs had a harder challenge than the Bulls. Newlands is an intimidating stadium, he said. The Stormers are desperate to win a Super Rugby title.

And they have a team that could go all the way.

After a last longing glance at the gleaming cars on display that I will never get close to owning, I put my note book into my bag, wrapped my Lexus scarf around my neck (a small gift for turning up) and made my way out into the rain.

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