Wallabies coach Robbie Deans believes NSW Waratahs have a great chance of setting up a dream interstate Super Rugby finals clash with Queensland.
The Waratahs play the Blues in Auckland on Friday night and a win could see them take on bitter rivals and minor premiers Queensland at Suncorp Stadium next week.
The sixth-placed Sharks would have to travel from Durban and upset the third-placed Crusaders in the second semi-final to ruin hopes of a NSW-Queensland match.
“There’s been a lot said about the Waratahs’ injuries but they go into the game with momentum,” said Deans, who coached the Crusaders to five Super Rugby titles.
“And we’ve seen in recent times that the Blues are a bit fragile.
“I think they’ve (Waratahs) got a great opportunity to hand themselves a play-off up at Suncorp … wouldn’t that be good.”
Deans praised the Australian Super Rugby sides and believes they are the best performing of the three nations involved.
“The rugby has been great and the interest in the competition is evidence of that,” he said.
“It’s great to have two sides involved at the business end.
“You could argue that we are the best performed when you add up the premiership positions.
“First and fifth (Reds and Waratahs) makes six, third and fourth combined for the Kiwi sides makes seven and second and sixth from South Africa makes eight.”
Deans is excited about the benefits Wallabies’ players will gain from being involved in the finals, ahead of a busy international season which culminates with the World Cup in Deans’ birthplace New Zealand.
“The rugby that our blokes are going to get at the business end is going to be great for us,” Deans said.
© AAP 2012Recommend this story.
The Turkey 10
The Turkey 10 teams have now been selected, as Wild Turkey Bourbon's sport sponsorship kicks into the next exciting phase.
Choose which side you're going to support and get in the running to win $2,500!
Simply visit Wild Turkey Australia on Facebook for your chance to win.
Find out more.
The Crowd Says (17) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- robbie deans, Rugby Union, Super Rugby, wallabies, Waratahs
June 24th 2011 @ 4:46am
Ben said | June 24th 2011 @ 4:46am | Report comment
As a reds fan I would rather the reds play the blues than the tahs. I am nervous about the tags for some reason
June 24th 2011 @ 7:52am
sixo_clock said | June 24th 2011 @ 7:52am | Report comment
No reason to be nervous Ben. The 2011 Reds play hard skillful Rugby which is as good as anyone else in this comp. Only Lady Luck can interfere with their progress.
June 24th 2011 @ 7:16am
Snobby Deans said | June 24th 2011 @ 7:16am | Report comment
Some of the stuff that Robbie Deans comes up with is completely absurd! Adding the positions to ‘argue’ that Australia was the superior of the 3 countries.
* Why not tally up the competition points, which shows NZ (248) ahead of SA (243) and AUS (217)?
* Why not call out the fact that Aussie had 3 of the bottom 4 teams, while NZ had all five teams in the top 10.
* Or the fact that all 5 NZ teams scored more competition points than the bottom 3 Aussie teams
* Or that the bottom placed NZ team scored 40 points, while the last placed teams from Aus and SA only scored 24 and 29 respectively.
* Or that both NZ and SA teams won 40 games, while Aussie teams won 35
* And so on . . . . .
This guys is seriously kidding himself if he thinks momentum from Super rugby (which the Aussie teams haven’t even won yet, and may not!) will translate to 3N or the RWC. These are all separate entities. Sure, the Bulls won Super Rugby in 2007 and the Boks won the RWC, but I don’t think the RWC win had too much to do with Super Rugby. Had the Bulls not won the Super Rugby before the world cup, does that mean people would have expected them to trip up against the world class knock-out opposition that Fiji, Argentina and England proved to be? The Blues won the Super 12 in 2003, but that meant nothing in RWC 2003.
June 24th 2011 @ 11:34am
Nashi said | June 24th 2011 @ 11:34am | Report comment
“You could argue” does not equate to “I believe”. Sometimes I think it could be argued that Deans is a troll in disguise…. but I couldn’t possibly say that, it’s just what a friend of mine said and I found it hard to disagree.
June 24th 2011 @ 1:15pm
p.Tah said | June 24th 2011 @ 1:15pm | Report comment
He’s the national coach. He’s hardly going to come out and say the opposite.
June 24th 2011 @ 7:51am
johnny-boy said | June 24th 2011 @ 7:51am | Report comment
Geez I wish Deans would learn quick to put a sock in it in the lead up to these games. Worked really well last time Robbie. FFS shut up ! I swear he’s a Crusaders mole sometimes.
June 24th 2011 @ 12:59pm
p.Tah said | June 24th 2011 @ 12:59pm | Report comment
I don’t think Christchurch has moles. Its too cold in winter for their tiny paws to dig holes…
June 24th 2011 @ 8:38am
Darwin Stubbie said | June 24th 2011 @ 8:38am | Report comment
The more Deans opens his mouth the more I get convinced the bloke is an idiot .. .
June 24th 2011 @ 9:34am
Rugby Reg said | June 24th 2011 @ 9:34am | Report comment
dingo is right about one thing, that out top two are better than the top two kiwis and saffers.
however our bottom three were definitily the worst. However i don’t think the unlucky force can be put in that class, just ask the reds and saders how tough they are at home.
another way to say it is our talent is not as evenly dispersed as the other nations (or we don’t have as much to go around).
but at the end of the day it only matters when the wallabes take to the feild against the boks or blacks that we will realy see the truth in dingos statement.
June 24th 2011 @ 10:26am
Jerry said | June 24th 2011 @ 10:26am | Report comment
“that out top two are better than the top two kiwis and saffers”
In terms of final ladder positions, sure – but then that’s just opening up the whole ‘weak conference’ argument again. In terms of comparing the teams head to head – they’re all pretty even, I reckon.
If only there were some were some sort of series of rugby matches in the upcoming weeks that would help determine the teams respective abilities. Silly thought, really.
June 24th 2011 @ 11:04am
thurl said | June 24th 2011 @ 11:04am | Report comment
….“that out top two are better than the top two kiwis and saffers”…….
Did the Warratahs beat any of the top 2 NZ and SA teams?. Can’t remember if they played the Stormers, but they lost to the Sharks, and the bulls, and don’t forget the Chetahs…
June 24th 2011 @ 10:04am
Dave said | June 24th 2011 @ 10:04am | Report comment
Of course he knocks the Blues, he’s from canterbury. Why break the habit of a lifetime?
June 24th 2011 @ 12:34pm
Quakezone.... said | June 24th 2011 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
Thank goodness Deans is now coahing the Wallabies!!! and didn’t get the AB’s job.
3 of the 4 bottom placed teams….this year.
However if last years final system was in place then would have been 2 NZ Teams 1 Aus and 1 SA REDvs Blues.
No Warratahs at all so fortunately the system has changed and Aust can get two teams in the playoffs.
June 24th 2011 @ 1:17pm
jokerman said | June 24th 2011 @ 1:17pm | Report comment
Deans is a good coach, but he tries a few mind games. Always promoting, always seeing the positve when there is none. Behind close doors I wouldnt be suprised if he and stu dickinson are having a love affair.
Go The All Blacks!!!!!!
June 24th 2011 @ 12:50pm
Amateur Hour said | June 24th 2011 @ 12:50pm | Report comment
Some very over sensitive reactions above. Take it easy boys we’re not even in July yet. Another 2 or 3 months and then lose your lollies.
June 24th 2011 @ 7:49pm
Bazza All Black said | June 24th 2011 @ 7:49pm | Report comment
Well, the Tahs are out…hardly any uninjured players left – Ali Williams had a scorcher of a game!
June 25th 2011 @ 1:38pm
Photon said | June 25th 2011 @ 1:38pm | Report comment
You know I love Aussie fans, you’d swear the world cup was done and dusted already. I’m just gonna say one thing, I think only one Southern hemisphere side is gonna make it to Eden park for a date with the world cup, that team will probably be New Zealand or South Africa. I can’t see the Wallabies coming out top against all those Northern Hemisphere in wet New Zealand conditions { Guess that’s 2 things
}