Wallabies Coach Robbie Deans was in town at the end of last week and attended the Nedlands Rugby Club Building Fund lunch at the Duxton Hotel.
Not surprisingly he was very upbeat about the state of rugby in Australia, and how important it was that the elite players have contact with the club sides, believing that today that is one of the unique things about rugby union, and it should be marketed more.
He said that in his life he has found the most supportive environment is a rugby club, and there are many who would not argue with that sentiment.
As a New Zealander coaching the Wallabies he was asked if he would feel any sadness if the All Blacks failed to win a second World Cup, with a wry smile he said “Not one little bit.”
Talking of the World cup he believed that key to the All Blacks winning would be how they handle the emotion of playing at home, and the huge expectations on them, and he did not appear convinced that they had the capacity or leadership to do that.
When talking about the Wallabies chances he said that “you have to cut your cloth to suit your people,” he went on to say that the World Cup is far more brutal than normal test matches as teams concentrate on denting and then breaking the defensive line.
He felt that South Africa will not be a threat, as when they won last time around ‘they had a unique group of players, but they have not evolved from there, as results have shown in the past few years.’
There was a quiet assuredness about him that would make a few people start thinking that Australia are in fact a real chance of winning ‘Bill’ for a third time; Something that we believe to be a very real possibility.
