Veteran All Blacks centre Conrad Smith believes a Wallabies side coached by Ewen McKenzie will provide a greater attacking threat than Robbie Deans could muster.
Smith says the blueprint new Australian coach McKenzie introduced when taking over at the Queensland Reds in 2010 is sure to get an airing in the first Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney next month.
The Reds have honed their style around the speed and variety of playmakers Will Genia and Quade Cooper, leading them to the 2011 Super Rugby title and into the playoffs in two subsequent seasons.
“The style showed with the Reds, it might affect the way the Wallabies play, which I think will be a big challenge for the All Blacks,” Smith said.
The Rugby Championship opener on August 17 will be the first in charge for McKenzie after replacing New Zealander Deans in the wake of the Wallabies’ 2-1 series loss to the British and Irish Lions.
Deans’ 5-1/2 years at the helm were marred by a dreadful record against New Zealand.
Australia never threatened to end the All Blacks’ decade-long reign as Bledisloe Cup holders, losing 15 of 18 trans-Tasman Tests.
Smith expects McKenzie to restore Cooper at first five-eighth and to hit the right psychological note with the players coming off their Lions disappointment.
“Generally, when you change the coach under those sort of circumstances, it normally brings a team together and makes them have a bit more fire in the belly,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett is in no doubt Deans will be in demand as a coach throughout the rugby world.
Former hooker Hammett played under Deans at both Crusaders and All Blacks level before joining him as a Crusaders assistant coach.
Hammett was unsure what the 53-year-old’s next move would be after six years in “intense working conditions”.
“He’ll sit back and reassess. He’ll be a hell of a lot better for the time he spent over there.
“There’s no doubt he’s a very valuable man, a valuable coach, but sometimes it doesn’t matter if you’re doing a good job or a bad job, that’s the reality of our position.”
Stevo TP
Guest
Gentlemen, This is a simple matter, argument, debate, call it what you will. The record stands with absolute clarity. The central question is not how good the WB's are The question is, how badly did the AB's play on the day. QED
Jerry
Guest
Indeed - if you look at the head to head results from 91-02 it's actually dead even. 13 wins each. And that's with Aus having a slight home advantage (14 matches in Aus, 11 in NZ, 1 neutral). Granted a 50% record against NZ over a decade is pretty impressive.
richard
Guest
KiwiDave - and in that decade,the WBs were only dominant in 1991-2,with the ABs ruling the roost from 1995-7 (even though SA won the '95 WC).And,of course,the WBs from 1998-2001. At best one,and that would be based on winning two WCs,at both ends of the decade.
Dan
Guest
lol i bet u do
Dan
Guest
like booing a certain indivdual all 2011 WC that the anzac SPIRIT YOUR TALKING ABOUT kURUKI???. He is a bit of a child but its not like Ritchies totally innocent. that display pissed on the ANZAC spirit!!!> food for thought BROTHER>>>>
KiwiDave
Roar Guru
First test was ordinary, third test was so so but the second test was a demonstration of why we are the number one side in the world. The defense was sublime and the counter attacking skills just brilliant. Was one of the best games we have played for years.
KiwiDave
Roar Guru
Or getting his kick charged down or fumbling the ball under pressure or passing to Mr Invisble on the wing and wondering why he didn't catch it when it goes out. Has the potential to cause a lot of damage but not the consistency to do it regularly and not the rugby brain to know when to step it up or slow it down.
KiwiDave
Roar Guru
Two decades? Try one. From 1991 to around 2002 will be remembered as the most dominant age for Australia rugby. You could liken it to the dominance we have had from 2004 to 2013.
Dan H
Guest
Not if you move here before 2000 I believe. I am a dual NZ and AUS citizen... mind you any country would want me as a citizen so I don't blame them. More seriously though when I went to get my citizenship in 2003 they asked if I wanted to be on tv which is the only way I would be fast tracked in time to get HECS. I also believe that if you do reserves military service that is looked upon favourably.
Dan H
Guest
Kuruki, I guess the idea behind that is to select some forwards who can contest at the breakdown and get us over the advantage line. None of this dennis, timani, alexander, mccalman, and sometimes robinson crud the wallabies have endured over the last few years. Get front foot ball to QC and genia and they are very hard to stop.
Garth
Guest
Not many in the future. The Aussie government classifies Kiwis as "temporary" residents, regardless of how long they stay over there & make it virtually impossible to become a permanent resident as returning home to visit family "resets" the timer. That whole temporary thing you see.
Garth
Guest
Historically, Australia isn't usually dominant at rugby. The Lions usually beat them in a series, as do the AB's & the Boks. They had a 2 decade "golden age" which seems to have passed. That said, they should be able to retain a top 3 spot, until Argentina gets itself sorted out.
richard
Guest
Even if NZ does have a down time,it won't last long.My guess,is a year or two at the most.Certainly not a decade like Australia has endured.
riccardo
Guest
" I don’t think he will bring anything new to the table and they will be found out." Only partly true Die Hard. I would expect the Wallabies will lift immediately under new leadership. While it's too soon for wholesale changes Link is a shrewd character and will tweak the team for this fixture. THP and pivot may get attention straight away for example. The All Blacks will have noted the issues on the tight side of the scrum but I can't see them dominating scrum or set-piece as easily as the Lions in Sydney. While the All Blacks looked good at times against the French, the 3rd Test was disappointing after the clarity of the 2nd, which was at least partly due to the same players having another shot after some time together. Hopefully the All Blacks gel and can deliver a cohesive performance. Another thing they will have noted from Sydney was the frailty down the outside channels as the game progressed and I would expect they may target this later in the fixture. What will be interesting for me is whether the All Blacks continue to not commit at the breakdown and rely on a spread defensive pattern like the did against Les Bleus, capitalising on mistakes and countering. Link will have noted this too though.
Ash
Guest
I was born in Aus and became an NZ citizen through my dad when I was 12. It has its perks.
sesenta y cuatro
Roar Pro
Yes, we know it will some time come to an end, but in the meantime we are enjoying our time. Also, a powerful Australia is usually a spark for the All Blacks to improve, so I kind of see it as a win-win solution (meaning the All Blacks always win... just like in recent years)
WEST
Roar Guru
Cooper has not had a good record with the AB, anyway All Blacks first few test with France was not flash. With new players introduced and short time frame to prepare it was fair to say that it wasn't going to be flash. AB got back to there SR clubs a lot of the key players start to crank up the intensity especially the Crusaders that is riddled with AB. There scrum is impressive and that will be a concern for the Wallabies, and there defence is looking just as solid. For Australia to win they will have to perform at a level that hasn't been seen for years.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
Dunno if they dominated us as such. It was pretty even from memory hence the draw. I agree that we weren't that great in the forwards last year but we still managed to win most of our games. It'll be interesting to see whether we commit to the breakdown or fan out and how McKenzie counters that.
dwayne
Guest
Is Cooper playing, if so then she's all over. Different coach, same flake.
George
Guest
Good side - the days of Beale & O'Connor are over .......................