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Wallaby coach Robbie Deans has re-affirmed his remarks that South Africa is not only the benchmark rugby nation, but also that the most dangerous teams in the Super 14 all hail from the Republic.
It’s an interesting statement based on the 2008 performances of not only his team, but of New Zealand and Wales.
Most scribes would put the vintage of the Tri or Six Nations champions beyond the results of the World Champions. But, the 53-8 Ellis park massacre aside, do Dean’s comments really have merit when his own Wallabies twice defeated the Springboks?
One must also ask why exactly he has made the emphasis on this, now twice. It is not to prop up the confidence of the South Africans themselves. It is doubtful that it would be for the benefit of his team.
Deans is a remarkably balanced coach, and would not regard his first year in charge to be anything more than a setting of principles. He himself has said that, in reality, they haven’t even begun to lay the foundations.
So it is safe to say that it is a measured mental attack on his old countrymen.
When opposing teams have recently played against New Zealand, they have not called them the All Blacks, deliberately breaking down the mystique and the aura of arguably history’s greatest team.
Deans, a brilliant commander, is beginning his own psychological warfare on what will be the coup de grace of his Wallaby coaching career: taking down the All Blacks on home soil in the 2011 World Cup.
Irrespective of where New Zealand is as a side in just over two years, the winner of the seventh global championship will need to go through a team that will be hell bent on breaking a two decade drought. Defeating the All Blacks in Sydney or Cardiff is one matter, upsetting them at Eden Park will be an entirely different proposition.
So is there any truth to Dean’s remarks?
He does make the point to say that the Ellis Park nightmare and the 42-6 victory over England at Twickenham were “in isolation” the best performances of 2008.
But to call a team the best in the world based on these wins isn’t accurate, especially considering that South Africa was missing the most crucial element of what Deans would expect from a dominating team: consistency.
Coming into Ellis Park, South Africa had suffered two losses at home, including 19-0 defeat to the All Blacks, considered by many the best performance of last year.
The two narrow victories over Wales and Scotland were average performances from Pieter De Villiers’ troops. The match at Murrayfield, against one of Europe’s weaker sides, was one where Scotland were left ruing missed chances to take victory against the World Champions.
The two victories were impressive, but a thirteen win test season with a Bledisloe Cup, Tri Nations and a Grand Slam is symptomatic of a season which defines a team as the best in the world.
So it will be interesting to see if these not so deftly disguised remarks have an impact when the Southern Hemisphere international season begins in proper.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.