Spiro Zavos recently wrote a column stating: “(Robbie) Deans showed once again his great talent in getting his team to get up to win crucial matches.”
I was happy with the Wallabies performance on the weekend.
They played very well in many respects. It was an excellent performance. But as a good friend correctly wrote: “… how many times have South Africa won in Australia in the history of the Tri-Nations? The answer is three times and not with a ‘B’ side. In fact, the last time they sent a ‘B’ side they lost that ugly 49-0 match at Suncorp Stadium.”
During Robbie Deans’ reign, the Wallabies have lost 10 straight Tests to New Zealand, many of them lost after leading at halftime.
Australia had the rare chance to win a Grand Slam, the first opportunity to do so since 1984. That tour included a loss to Scotland, the first since 1982, and a drawn game against a very poor Ireland.
Australia lost to England at home last year, a rare feat for England. And however you want to gloss over it, Australia’s loss to Samoa is probably the second biggest upset in Australian rugby history (after the famous Tonga Test in the early 70s).
And despite Australia’s loss to Samoa last week, many people (including myself) felt the Wallabies would beat South Africa with a strengthened side.
So Spiro’s comments about the Wallabies winning when it really matters struck me as odd.
I could also talk about some of Deans’ bizarre selections over the years, but I’ll put that to the side.
As I began responding to Spiro’s column I began listing some of the landmark Tests I felt Robbie Deans has coached (there aren’t many!). These are six games that mattered, meant something to the Wallabies for the future, and showed improvement. I’ve decided to rank these games.
For what it’s worth, if Australia beat New Zealand at Eden Park in two weeks time, then that will be number one in my rankings.
6. Australia v Wales – Cardiff 2009.
Australia had lost the Grand Slam and were showing very little improvement. After David Pocock had been far and beyond Australia’s best player against Ireland in 2009, Robbie Deans decided to rest him for George Smith against Scotland. Smith unfortunately played a poor game.
This was George Smith’s last game for Australia, and he played terrifically. David Pocock played in the first half and resumed the dominant form he showed against Ireland. He later had to be taken off for a minor injury.
George Smith came on and took off where Pocock left off. I think George Smith retired at the right time, just when Pocock was on the rise.
Matt Giteau played his best ever game for Australia at five-eighth and received rave reviews from Welsh legend Barry John after the game.
This was probably the most complete performance in the history of the Deans’ reign as coach.
5. Australia v South Africa – Cape Town 2008.
South Africa were playing poorly, and Australia started off the Tri Nations better than any team. But Australia hadn’t won in South Africa since 2000 when Sterling Mortlock kicked Australia to Tri Nations glory.
My lasting memory of this game was Australia having a good lead before Sterling Mortlock illegally kicked the ball out on the full, giving South Africa territorial advantage. South Africa scored a try off Mortlock’s mistake and got back into the game.
Mortlock looked angry and frustrated. Four minutes later how took the ball from about the five-eighth positive, looked around, decided to run around the ruck, found a hole, and scored a great individual try.
Mortlock was a champion. Like all champions he could just force something to happen against the tide of play.
Unfortunately the shine of this great win was taken off when the Wallabies were beaten 8-51 the following week – their worst ever loss. Deans was never criticized for that.
Nonetheless, Australia had always found it devilishly hard to beat South Africa in South Africa and this was a huge win that mattered.
4. Australia v England – Twickenham 2008.
If ever there was a fight for respect, this was it.
Australia had been embarrassed by England at the Rugby World Cup. Australia was superior in so many ways to England, but they never laid any foundation to beat England. England’s forwards were supreme in every aspect.
What was sad watching that game was I felt the Aussie forwards were too tired to do anything around the ground. They looked destroyed from all the scrum resets.
Maybe the saddest moment for Australia in the game was when an English player knocked the ball in with a few minutes to go. I knew what would happen. Australia would give away a scrum penalty and England would gain territory.
That’s how sad and how bad Australia’s scrum once was. I fear Australia’s scrum might be a weakness at this year’s World Cup too.
The idea of getting the scrum feed is your team now has the advantage for the other team knocking the ball forward. But for Australia circa 2005-2007 it meant the other team had an opportunity to gain territory.
Few people were picking England to win that game, but I wasn’t surprised. I saw Australia’s scrum crumble against an average Welsh pack before this game.
Come 2008 and the media scrutiny on Australia’s scrum was incredible. Al Baxter was given tremendous media attention, and sought-out for interviewing etc.
The game went better for Australia than expected. In fact I didn’t think Australia’s backs played all that well. Australia received many penalties and Giteau slotted them from everywhere.
Baxter played perhaps his greatest game for Australia – the one I’ll remember him for. Nathan Sharpe was the deserved man of the match, and was punching holes with every ball carry.
The Australian forwards left the field having dominated the England forwards.
3. Australia v New Zealand – Sydney 2008.
Ah how things can change in a week or two! Graham Henry was heavily criticized after this game. There were calls to have him dumped.
New Zealand had lost their first game to South Africa on New Zealand soil in a long time, and lost fairly comprehensively to the Wallabies in this game.
Three years later the scorecard reads something like: Henry 10, Deans 2.
At the time it felt like Australia was turning a corner. Berrick Barnes was my player of the match by far. His kicking just nailed New Zealand to their own territory.
George Smith played his best game against New Zealand in years. Rocky Elsom was in his best ever form, and scored a bizarre try. Giteau played well too.
The aspect about the Wallabies game that helped them win was the way they exploited the ELV’s. In the first half Tiquri, Ashley-Cooper, Barnes etc all kicked several up and unders that landed just outside the New Zealand 22. This prevented Dan Carter from kicking out on the full.
After several kicks that couldn’t go into touch, New Zealand had the try and run the ball out of their territory, which they struggled to do. Australia capitalized from there.
For many Tests after this one, Australia’s big weakness was aimless, pointless kicking. I always looked to this Test as an example of purposeful, constructive kicking that enabled the Wallabies to play with shape and direction.
The euphoria after this game was incredible. Robbie Deans could not have been more loved, and Henry was under the pressure cooker.
As I’ve noted in the past, Henry’s response defined him as one of rugby’s greatest ever coaches.
2. Australia v New Zealand – Hong Kong 2010.
There were scores of New Zealanders who felt this game was a dead rubber and that it didn’t matter. I never bought that. Richie McCaw looked gutted after the game. The All Blacks wanted to extend their incredible streak.
The All Blacks 10 Test streak against the Wallabies was one of the most frustrating things I’ve witnessed in rugby. I’ve always felt Australia should have beaten New Zealand twice in 2009 when Stephen Donald was playing at five-eighth and Dan Carter was injured. I don’t think many people realize how poor New Zealand played in those games. But there’s no excuse from me, Australia played worse!
There was that game in Brisbane in 2008 when Australia could have won the Tri Nations, but their defence let them down. How the Wallabies could switch off for 15 minutes like they did in a game that would decide the Tri Nations is beyond me.
There’s other games too, like the Sydney Test from last year where the Wallabies lost by a point. Yet again another lead thrown away!
There were so many Tests where the Wallabies had thrown away good leads that by the time Stephen Donald was lining up for the match-winning penalty I was furious. Donald missed it.
The Wallabies were close to their try line and when the ball was kicked downfield. Kurtley Beale fielded it, and to his credit, beat one or two tacklers to launch one final attack.
The ball went to the other side of the field where James O’Connor scored the match-winning try and kicked the winning conversion.
Because this match broke the hoodoo, it was a game that mattered.
It also mattered because the Wallabies threw away another good lead, but they found a way to win. There were fantastic tries to Adam Ashley-Cooper and Drew Mitchell.
Kurtley Beale’s form was again a highlight for me, as was David Pocock beating McCaw to the breakdown a few times.
1. Australia v South Africa – Bloemfontein 2010.
People forget that under Robbie Deans’ reign as coach, it wasn’t until the game prior to this in Pretoria that Australia obtained a Tri Nations bonus point for scoring four tries.
I watched the Wallabies play New Zealand in Melbourne last year and was incredibly frustrated by their inability to attack. The Wallabies just didn’t know how to score tries. Quade Cooper missed that game.
In their next game against New Zealand, the All Blacks were lauded for their defence. No doubt it was a brilliant defensive effort, but Bob Dwyer perfectly surmised it when he said it was the type of attack defences love.
But as soon as the Wallabies hit South Africa something in them changed. More than any moment in Robbie Deans’ reign, last year’s South Africa tour was when I really saw some improvement in the Wallabies.
It hurt watching Australia lose in Pretoria after having such a large lead. But the loss hurt less than it should have because I was happy to see the Wallabies playing attacking, positive rugby.
Before the tour to South Africa I didn’t see any improvement in the Wallabies. It’s one thing to lose a Test, it’s another thing to lose a Test and fell like the team isn’t improving.
But Australia improved in leaps and bounds in South Africa last year.
The placement of Beale at fullback injected more running into the Wallabies than they’d had in years.
James O’Connor found his feet at international level playing next to Beale, and was involved in some breathtaking counter-attacks.
Quade Cooper displayed his abilities wonderfully too. One try Beale showed by taking an inside pass off O’Connor came after Quade passed a beautiful 20 metre pass to Adam Ashley-Cooper.
Some of the tries to Wallabies scored in South Africa last year were breath-taking. And of course the ending couldn’t have been more incredible, after Beale had made two mistakes (including one falcon), he kicked a tremendous penalty to win Australia the game.
Of course the Wallabies blew an unassailable lead yet again in this game. But their ability to score from anywhere was incredible.
For three years the Wallabies backline had been a puzzle. But something about Cooper and Beale helped it fall into place. Right now in 2011 Australia’s backline looks more settled than it has in about a decade!
The only dilemmas now are who should play at 12 (Berrick come back!), and whether Ashley-Cooper is good enough to remain at outside centre.
This was the Wallabies first win at altitude since 1963 and the Wallabies first win at Bloemfontein since 1933.
This is the best example of Deans winning a game that mattered.
jeznez
Guest
Bayboy - there was no great depression over that loss? I'll give you that it meant more to the Aussies than it did the AB's but the public pilllory of Donald and whoever the other sub was (Toeava?) was shocking. The basic understanding was the game was in the bag and then Donald came on and gave it away - the guy was lucky to play for the Chief's again after the NZ public's reaction. I was watching the comments on stuff.co.nz and I'd say there were more comments calling for Donalds head than there were calling for Dickinson's after the Reds v Crusaders regular season game this year. Certainly elicited a lot of feeling. I reckon Git's could have read this site for a year and felt better about himself than Donald would have reading Stuff for a week after that game.
Red Rooster
Guest
I think there is just you and me left RedAnt and we are probably not that far apart so suggest we just move onto something more current as possibly interesting :)
RedAnt
Guest
They're all fair points, Red Rooster. I still think Deans has done good things, and I'm not sure Link would have or could have done any better. Or anyone else for that matter!
Red Rooster
Guest
They weren't there abouts - go back and have a look - mid table average and the competition only had 12 teams for a long time. Its three Semis and Two finals in five years. The culture was poor obviously as they never finished better than mid table. Suddenly they start making finals regularly under Link so there was a change in culture otherwise it would not have changed. They did not have a lot of Wallabies (particulalry backs) but many made the Wallabies as the team got better. It would be logical for him to improve as the tahs was his first head coaching role but I am saying it wasn't all bad at the tahs. He is their longest serving coach in history, which says something about the NSWRU admin and has taken the team the furthest. It is worth noting he took the Tahs from a injury riddled year in 2007, where they finished 13th to the Final the next year so he has actually done it twice
RedAnt
Guest
Yes, but the 'tahs had been there or there abouts in those ten years, and had a team full of Wallabies. The achievement of making two semis is hardly the same as going from the bottom of the ladder to the top. Remember, Link said last year one of the most important factors in the rise of the Reds was their willingness to be coached. By implication, he was saying the 'tahs weren't willing to be. That's the point I'm trying to make. It's the culture of the team, what's going on between the ears, that makes the biggest difference and that is what I think Dingo has improved considerably. Don't get me wrong, I think Link is a great coach, but he wasn't as great a few years ago.
Red Rooster
Guest
Well the Tahs may have not been as attractive but Link turned the Tahs from one semi appearance in ten years to 3 semi's and two finals in the next 5 years. Since then they have had one semi and a qualifying final so they are going backwards. Bit rich to say he did not improve them or the culture or develop consistency. He took the tahs to the final in his second year just like the Reds the only difference is he didn't win the first one in Christchurch
Emric
Guest
I somehow think Aussie Dollars makes it just a little more bearable.
cookee
Guest
ROOSTER.,yes i reckon all this fudging of past games should really come down to your stats. deans record is woeful .why the reds coach isnt recognised and made wallaby coach astounds most of us. shame if he goes overseas and impatient for his crack at wallaby job imo. the wallabies seem to be using the reds strategies which is the smartest thing deans could do.
Ben S
Roar Guru
That's kind of irrelevant to Deans then. It's just fudging the issue. In any case, the Waratahs have had a strong Super pack for a long time, and the Reds did well enough this season. You should be more concerned about having one of the most technically erratic packs in the world. One year you had an excellent scrum, and then a terrible one. Last season you defended rolling mauls very well, and this season it looks like your boys couldn't stop a maul of infants. I am pretty sure that the Wallabies have men with the physical and technical capacity not to have been so bad in the forwards position under Deans.
Ben S
Roar Guru
Yes, I would have thought it was abundantly clear to, but I guess not... simply having won a title in March does not mean you will be playing title winning rugby in November. It's like saying Australia are the best side in the world because they just beat the world champions last weekend. It's all about the context, and it's clear from the results prior to that Test, and since that Test, that France were in a seriously downward curve. Very, very lazy 'logic', but then I suppose there's not a lot to hang on your hat on otherwise, eh.
RedAnt
Guest
Interesting article, Frank. There are things about Dingo that annoy the crap out of me (all the meaningless corporate-speak, for one), but there are also things that he has done which are fantastic. His main achievement I think has been to change the somewhat arrogant and spoilt-brat culture that pervaded the team. Even though many of the 'super star' players had already left by the time Dingo took over, the 'super star' culture remained. So he faced the double problem of an under-strength team that didn't believe they needed to work hard. These are not things you can change quickly, particularly with our lack of depth. I think he made the mistake of believing that when a player pulled on the green and gold jersey they would take the same pride in it that the ABs or the SAFFAs do in theirs. D'oh! It's also worth remembering that consistency had been a problem for the Wallabies long before Dingo came along. Also, as Sheek said, he was the best option at the time. As much as I love what Link's done in the last two years, he hadn't exactly had the same success with the 'tahs. Maybe there's a parallel between the culture at the 'tahs and the Wallabies?
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Oh and while he's one of my all-time favourite Wallabies, Deans should have culled Mortlock before the 2009 Tri Nations. I love Morty but he looked much slower in 2009 and couldn't gain the yards he once did. Burgess, Giteau at 10, Mortlock at 12 etc. They were bad decisions.
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Hi Sheek, The main problem for the Wallabies circa 2008-2009 wasn't their forwards in my opinion. In the Brisbane Test of 2008 Australia enjoyed the rare pleasure of having cleaner ball than New Zealand. New Zealand had more ball, but Australia had better ball. The Australian forwards really couldn't have played much better in that game. In 2009 the New Zealand scrum really didn't exert any substantial pressure on the Wallabies. I'd say there was parity there. Some would even say since Woodcock couldn't get it hand off the ground that Robinson was a better loosehead. The Australian scrum dominated South Africa's scrum in 2009, yet South Africa won the Tri Nations convincingly. The biggest problem in those days was the backline. In 2009 the biggest problem was Luke Burgess, in my opinion. Fair enough he played well for the Tah's in 2008 and deserved his spot in 2008. I refuse to believe he was the best Australia had in 2009. His Super 14 form was horrid. I know Genia was untested, but Burgess surely wasn't it. It's not a case of Australia not having the cattle, it was a case of Deans putting the wrong cattle on the paddock. I'll never forget the 2009 Test in Auckland. Stephen Donald played a shocker. Australia went in with a halftime lead. After the break Burgess gave away two penalties, one for running around Stephen Moore (infringement). There was a horrible part of that game when Giteau wanted a clearing kick. Burgess passed it high, Giteau plucked it out of the air, but the time his feet hit the ground he was swarmed by All Blacks. Another penalty given away! Of course Burgess had a terrible effect on Giteau. Deans deciding to play Giteau at five-eighth from 2008-2009 was just lamentable, especially since Knuckles played Barnes against Wales in 2007 at the World Cup, and he showed such composure in a game where the Wallaby forwards played terriblyl. Say what you want about Barnes and whether he can run a backline, he did constructive things. Giteau's idea of five-eighth is kicking the ball to players like Sivivatu when he's under pressure. Giteau began running across field in 2009 and the rest of the Wallabies backline drifted with him. The only way the Wallabies tried to score tries was by making individual breaks which never came off. They never worked as a backline. Deans was the backs coach! And the Wallabies could not score four tries in a Tri Nations test to save themselves. The reason why I came around to Quade Cooper is because he scores tries, and his backs score tries because of him. He's got flaws, but we need him to score tries. So from the moment in 2010 when Cooper played in South Africa, Australia's backs have been good. In fact currently Australia's backline looks better than is has in ages. There's no doubt Genia-Cooper-Ioane-O'Connor-Beale are all players who should be playing. Now whether Mitchell comes back into the test side I don't know. But the only place where I'm seeing problems is the midfield. But now from 2010-2011 the forwards have gone backwards. Robinson was Australia's best player by far in 2009, and in 2010 he wasn't close. Rocky Elsom was the world's best blindside in 2008 and improved yards that year. In 2008 Sean Fitzpatrick lauded Stephen Moore as the world's best hooker. George Smith, even not at his best, was terrific. But Australia's forward play has been poor from 2010-2011. It's one of those cyclical things isn't it? When our backs are good are forwards are poor and vice versa. But I hold Deans accountable for Burgess, for Giteau at 10, for Ashley-Cooper at fullback (in 2008, not 2009). His selections have been poor. The way he's handled Berrick Barnes is sad. Such a talent in my view! I hold him accountable for the Wallabies backline problems 2008-2009 etc. And this isn't getting started on how he uses his subs. Something about Deans and Australia hasn't popped. Look at McKenzie! The Reds were cellar-dwellers in 2008-2009, and in a span of a few weeks McKenzie turned them around. They're the most exciting team to watch now. Nobody says McKenzie didn't have the cattle. He developed the cattle, he managed the cattle, he coached the cattle. Something about saying Australia doesn't have the cattle sounds soft. It's not something people in the past would have said. Australia didn't have a tight five in 1980 but they found a way to win against New Zealand. Australia used to love getting at New Zealand when they were superior in so many ways.
Ralph
Guest
The mark of a champions heart, he rues every single loss.
Ralph
Guest
Nice piece, it's so important for the game to celebrate the past glories.
Jiggles
Roar Guru
If fans of Australian Rugby Union irk you so much Bayboy, I suggest you leave this fine land you have settled in and stop reading this site, which is for the Australian rugby market, and go read a NZ based site. Clearly your rugby intelligence is just too far progressed for this site, so I honestly do not understand why you bother.
Steve
Guest
Stuff.co.nz 24 Nov 2010 Richie McCaw still can't shake the disappointment of the Wallabies' Hong Kong robbery. "It still frustrates me a bit, to be honest, because we had the game and we could have won it," he reflected. "There were times we put ourselves under pressure and I think you saw a little bit the following week against England too when we put ourselves under our own pressure, rather than the opposition. That was certainly one of the lessons we had."
Steve
Guest
Just because everyone did overreact to the loss doesn't mean we didn't care. The entire reaction was based on respect for what the team had achieved over the last 12 months not a we couldn't care that we lost. As for declining spectator numbers NZ is in a recession and money is tight, per head of Population we still get more people to a game than any other nation outside of Wales.
Bayboy
Guest
Show me where Richie said he was absolutely devastated that they lost? I don't recall him ever saying he was, he was disappointed yes but not gutted there is a big difference. Not to mention all AB teams will go out to win every game unfortunately the same can not be said for the Wallabies This is just another case of Australian fans trying to milk more out of a win than what is really on offer.
Will Sinclair
Guest
I would have thought it was clear, mate... It's not often that the Six Nations champions are flogged at home by 50 points within a few months of winning the premier Northern Hemisphere rugby title. I'm a little surprised you need that explained, to be honest.