The Wallabies may have fought back to equalise the Lions series with a tense 16-15 victory in Melbourne last night, but the third Test should mark the end of Robbie Deans’ Australian coaching tenure.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a member of the anti-Deans brigade. I supported his appointment in 2008.
His tenure in Super Rugby showed he is a good coach. His nationality is irrelevant.
Deans inherited a rebuilding Wallabies squad and he has had mixed results. The blooding of several new players, along with the 2011 Tri-Nations title and a breakthrough win on the high veldt in 2010, were highlights.
The hammering of France in 2010 in Paris was another. On reflection reaching a semi-final at the last World Cup, where the Wallabies were beaten by the winners New Zealand, was not a bad result either.
Deans’ Wallabies also defeated Six Nations champions Wales 3-0 last season, have restored some respectability up front and now they go into a Lions decider with a real chance to make history.
On the flip side there have been struggles to defeat the All Blacks, a 53-8 loss against the Boks in 2008, player misbehaviour and disputes, and embarrassments against Samoa, Ireland and Scotland twice.
Overall his success rate as Australian coach is 58.3%, which is not a terrible figure.
Not the greatest, especially comparable to Rod Macqueen and Bob Dywer, but there has been heavy injury tolls to consider and some strains on player depth. International rugby is also growing a lot stronger away from the top five nations.
You only have to look at the emergence of Argentina to see that Test rugby is no longer as predictable as it once was one or two decades ago.
But five years is long enough in the Wallabies hot seat. It is time for some new blood, some new ideas and a new direction. Either Ewen McKenzie or Jake White would bring that. Both would be good choices as Australian coach.
McKenzie may repair the Quade Cooper rift and bring in some free-flowing, enterprising rugby based on the style his Reds side play. He has the experience, both here and overseas, to take on the Wallaby job and is ready for it.
Down in Canberra, White’s reputation continues to grow. He has already won a Junior World Cup in 2002 and the senior World Cup in 2007 with South Africa, boasting a 67% success rate with the Boks.
And the experienced, former high school teacher has rebuilt the Brumbies from also-rans to table-toppers, further strengthening his hand.
At the moment Deans’ Wallabies head to Sydney with a chance to secure a 2-1 series victory. Last night’s game was not a classic by any means.
The Wallabies may have edged the win, again with a last-minute penalty miss but this time by the Lions, but the match lacked the high drama and attacking thrust of the series opener.
This was a Test racked by tension, nervousness and conservatism with both teams below their best and just one try scored. This was one for the purists, one for the love of scrums, penalty kicking and bone-rattling defence.
Both teams tackled well, especially the Lions. But the Wallabies played more of the actual rugby and, in the end, were rewarded. Handling errors and poor ball security almost crippled them.
But in the final stages the Wallabies managed to out enough phases together and find a way through the Lions’ suffocating wall. The Lions were poor in the lineout, missing the contribution of Paul O’Connell, and kicked away far too much ball.
Even Stuart Barnes, the Sky Sport commentator, was forced to admit in the end that Australia “at the very least deserve to be level. They probably played a little bit more rugby”.
Accurate goal-kicking made a massive difference to the Wallabies. Christian Lealiifano lasted more than 50 seconds this time and had a big impact.
James O’Connor was again less than impressive at 10, though he did set up Adam Ashley-Cooper’s try well.
This was also a night for the Wallaby scrum. At times it was shunted backwards but it also won penalties of its own and it stood up when needed – rewarding the high-stakes call by James Horwill to take a scrum five metres out from the Lions in-goal with the game on the line.
The Wallabies looked dangerous when they threw the ball wide and tested the Lions’ rush-up defence.
It was there that they turned the Lions around and made yards. They will have to be again adventurous with the ball in hand in Sydney, and probably do it without their heroic skipper Horwill who may be suspended, to get a win next Saturday.
The Lions could be without their own captain, with Sam Warburton tweaking a hammy.
There is a little bit of concern coming out of the Lions squad. They will be disappointed that they couldn’t close out the game with a six-point lead late in the match and may be a little weary after two tough wars and seven mid-week games.
The Wallabies, on the other hand, may be gaining some familiarity after two matches together.
Will Greenwood certainly thinks so. The ex-England and Lions centre, and Sky Sports commentator said: “With two games under their belt they are getting stronger in my opinion”.
The Wallabies may have a little more momentum their way now but it is still all to be done in Sydney.
Another tense, nervy and dramatic battle awaits. Regardless if the Wallabies win in the NSW capital or not, the green and gold should have a new coach in their ranks next time they run out.
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
fernando Marzano
Guest
Agree, Hunter What Jake White did in the Springboks before and in the Brumbies now, show that he is in the top 5 of the best coaches in the world, according to my taste and idea: 1st Jake White - 2nd Steve Hansen - 3rd Graham Henry - 4th Robbie Deans - 5th Warren Gatland. It´s not a surprise 4th New Zelanders coming from 5 coaches. I´m pretty sure that Rod Macqueen could join them, the best australian coache to me, but I omitted because he´s not training right now. Who knows, and who can ensure that would be the result with Ewan Mc Kenzie, just thinking that it would lead to vain Quade Cooper, my stomach hurts. After the rest. Stuart Lancaster is doing well, but has little time and his dutties, we have to wait another year to say how good he is. Also it's different being involved in a club where the coach has the players every day and all year round (in that Robbie Deans was the best with five Super Rugby titles) to have to train a selected players, where there to mix stars, who come from different clubs, with coaches who have different styles, and where there is no much time to impose an idea. FERNANDO - CORDOBA - ARGENTINA
Rassie
Roar Rookie
Aah sorry its 3:10am here so I might mix up a name here or two. Your a kiwi. No problem no one is perfect mate
Jerry
Guest
Who is John? I'm a Kiwi, by the way.
Rassie
Roar Rookie
John you lost two friendlies in preparation for a RWC. You got to the semi's losing to the host nation. End up third. The loss against Ireland placed you on the dirt road and there is no way that you can go and take on a physical SA side then go take on a brutally efficient and tactically better equipped AB at home and think you lost because of a coach. NZ cruised to the semi's. The did not taking a battering from the opposition like Australia did
The Bush
Roar Guru
No need to put Ioane on your hit list, he's off to France at the end of the Super Season - no more Tests for him...
Jerry
Guest
Sure, but the win over Aussie and the showings in the RWC vs SA & Wales only confirmed the error. No one is expecting clairvoyance, but the point is that Deans with his selections, and the ARU by scheduling it as a midweek match straight after the Super Rugby final, clearly underestimated the Samoans. Don't get hung up on the word 'unlucky', the point is that Samoa weren't pushovers.
Ash
Guest
Changing topic now....
mania
Guest
Nice try? u cant be talking about the wb's then
Hunterrr
Guest
Robbin Deans has done an excellent job of rebuilding the Wallabies into a fundamentally different proposition than they were 7 or 9 years ago. This was necessary because the game was changing around them and no Australian coaches of the era were keeping up. Also worth keeping in mind that his current win-loss record is over a phase when the Wallabies were playing the AB's almost 30-40% more often than previously. Which brings to my last point....yes, I strongly agree things have been changing quickly. However, what doesn't change is the ability of the AB's to consistently out-think and out-play every other team on the planet. And before you say it, no I am not a kiwi...just a realist. If Robbie is going to be replaced, I just hope the ARU are smart enough to install Jake W.
Ash
Guest
Nice try. Yes it is generalising because I'm talking about 4 million people rather than 1 specific.
Rassie
Roar Rookie
But the understrength Aussie side played before us. Lets not forget the IRB giving referees instructions left and right to lay losw with the penalties to make the try to ratio good in this WC as well as the scores between teams much smaller. Lets not forget about the rigged ball to make sure the goal kicking is as difficult as possible as well as drop goals They made sure we are not going to get far in this WC right from 2007 with clever little law tweaks right through to WC with the balls and telling referees to change their interpretations in matches. Scores like 11 - 9, 12 - 5 8 -7 is scores that indicates that referees allow the defense to slow the ball down more than they should. Just check the amount of penalties with Joubert with the game this weekend comparing in the WC. Same with Lawrence in Aus vs Ireland and SA vs AUstralia. In knock out stages they changed their approach to the game completely. Clearly showing interference in a tournament.
fernando Marzano
Guest
Very interesting article I'm Argentinian, so I will give my view "from the last corner of the world" in the words of our Pope Francisco. Surely after the Pumas, I feel very identified with the WBs, and so alive. To the extent that last Saturday I woke up early in the morning, 6.30 am here in Arg, to see the game. I understand that Robbie D task over the years has been really good, considering the difficulties they have been through, and enduring the bad mood of Australian fans, of which a large majority committed Mc Ewan Kenzie. In this respect, and if you did not know, Ewan before heading to the Reds, was fired by Stade Francais, since the team could never amalgamate. This does not make him a better or worse coach, are stages. I agree very much with the first part of the comment of Comrade Bear, and also what you say John, about that last year he won the series 3 to 0 to Wales, and that in the RC, although it lacked key players as Genia, Horwill, Pockoc, Cooper, Lelaifano, Palu, Barnes, were injured, finished in a second place. I understand that the WBs fans are very critical with their own players, now is the case of JOC (has a great future), is young and we have to wait, do not destroy him. Before it fell to Gitteau Mat, one of the most talented players I saw after Stephen L, not forgive any mistakes, like when things did not come out well, it was as if the evil done on purpose. For my part, I continue to support the coach, Australia is still in the top 3 despite the large number of injured, I'm sure QC is a toxic to WBs. Fernando _ Córdoba - Argentina
mania
Guest
isnt that generalising? do all ABs supporters call other countries arogant?
Jerry
Guest
He's talking about Samoa vs SA in the RWC*, Rassie - saying they pushed a full strength Bok side, so playing them with an understrength Wallaby side in the leadup was a mistake. *1 try to each team, by the way.
Ash
Guest
Agreed. Some people can't see past themselves. Ironic how AB supporters call other countries arrogant.
Ash
Guest
That's the funniest thing I've heard all year and also the most ridiculous. There's no way Deans knows anything about Aussie pride, cos he's a kiwi. This is the main reason he has to go (apart from dumb selections/game plan).
Ra
Guest
Yep. And if Deano is the useless coach that lame brained roarers moan on about him being, the players would say so. They didn't, they told Cooper not to pack his bags for a while instead. I think McKenzie should have told him to shut his mouth and do as he's told. He might be steering the Wallabies around the park now. In O'Connor and Beale, he has two guys who will play wherever he asks them to and they repay the faith. It might take them 79 minutes, but they do it. And check who he has mentoring his forward pack. The big man himself - say no more !
Ra
Guest
Sorry Cattledog, but you need players who have breathed Australian rugby first. Most of your Super rugby players are FIFO and talk with the same eh bro accent as me. And that's the legacy Deans will leave behind. You will have a Union of hard arsed, no nonsense guys who can play no frills rugby to grind out one and two point wins instead of the old 30 point win 30 point loss games, and you will have it in depth. And in five-ten years time, they will still talk just like me eh bro. Doesn't matter where the coach comes from. Eh Bro !!
Ra
Guest
I disagree - you're an All Black - you play where you're asked to play, no if, buts or ring home to mummy, and you give it your 100 - ask any All Black. In today's coaching manual they say, assume the position you're in. That's why Fitzy thought he was a first choice winger, he was writing today's manual.
Rassie
Roar Rookie
Why do you say unlucky not to roll SA over? Lucky had nothing to do with it. We scored two tries. We did not win on dodgy penalties mate. That was NZ