Deans' Era Wallabies Win
June 14, 2008

AUSTRALIA 18 IRELAND 12

HE may still be learning Advance Australia Fair, but Robbie Deans has made a triumphant start as the Wallabies' first-ever foreign coach.

Deans' former Crusaders sang Australia's national anthem in jest - twice - in the winning dressing room after the Super 14 final two weeks ago in Christchurch and it is a good bet the supercoach was asked to join in tonight following the Wallabies' nailbiting win over Ireland at Melbourne's Telstra Dome.

It wasn't the most polished display, but the Wallabies showed enough in the six-point victory to suggest their New Zealand boss should know the words in full by the end of their bumper 15-Test campaign in 2008.

In their first match since falling to England in the quarter-finals of last year's Rugby World Cup in France, the Wallabies wiped away the dust - if not quite the Irish - to run in two vital first-half tries to kick off the new era in encouraging fashion.

The rust was evident at times but there were plenty of other exciting moments featuring nice interplay between forwards and backs and a general willingness to play more vibrant and adventurous rugby.

Rookie halfback Luke Burgess was sound if unspectacular in his eagerly-waited first Test, while debutant winger Peter Hynes looked genuinely dangerous whenever he had room to showcase his blistering pace.

Five-eighth Matt Giteau was his usual classy and livewire self - as well as reliable as Australia's new first-choice goalkicker - even if his combinations with Burgess inside and Berrick Barnes outside him are still works in progress.

And Lote Tuqiri played with energy and confidence, particularly in the first half, while the Wallabies pack did the job in nullifying their physical Irish counterparts.

Barnes had the distinction of scoring the first try of the Deans reign after being on hand to capitalise on a barnstorming run Tuqiri in the fifth minute.

Tuqiri took a pass from George Smith near the opposition quarter line, beat one defender with pace, then used Irish fullback Robert Kearney as a speed bump before offloading to Barnes a metre out when he was finally brought to the ground.

Giteau's sideline conversion attempt shaved the post, but the Wallabies were nevertheless up and running with an early 5-0 lead.

It was the start of a rousing first half from Tuqiri in both attack and defence, yet it was Ireland who scored next t through flanker Denis Leamy in the 15th minute following a lineout win just five metres out from the Wallabies try line.

Ronan O'Gara's successful conversion nudged Ireland ahead 7-5, but the Wallabies were quick to restore their lead following some fancy footwork from Giteau.

The stepping Giteau fooled two defenders before finding big lock James Horwill, who crashed over from close range.

Giteau slotted the conversion this time to leave the Wallabies up 12-7 after 21 minutes and then nailed a 40-metre penalty goal five minutes later to leave the home side comfortably placed at the interval.

Another Giteau penalty goal in the 44th minute extended Australia's lead to 11 points, but a well-earned try to Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll following some smart counter-attack from the tourists set up a tense final quarter of an hour.

But the Wallabies hung on after being forced to tackle for more than a dozen phases at the death to deny Ireland their first Test win in Australia since 1979.

Fulltime
AUSTRALIA 18 (Berrick Barnes, James Horwill tries Matt Giteau con, 2 pens) bt IRELAND 12 (Denis Leamy, Brian O'Driscoll tries Ronan O'Gara con) at Telstra Dome, Melbourne. Referee: Christophe Berdos (Fra). Crowd: 41,478.

boring boring rugby- it was awful

July 05, 2008

AUSTRALIA playmaker Matt Giteau regained his mojo to spearhead Australia to a record 40-10 Test blitz of France at Suncorp Stadium.

Giteau set up all four Australian tries and kicked eight from eight for a personal haul of 20 points to ensure a 2-0 series whitewash for the Wallabies.

It was easily Australia's best performance under new coach Robbie Deans, who was pleased with the match as a Tri-Nations warm-up.

"We're very conscious that the next arena will be very different," Deans said.

"It will be another level, there's no doubt about that."

"I think (France) were looking forward to their vacation. That's harsh but fair," Deans said.

"We created opportunities and we took those opportunities and there were many more that we didn't take as well.

But the display was tarnished by injuries, including a broken leg for luckless replacement back Cameron Shepherd.

Centre Berrick Barnes (shoulder) and lock James Horwill (eye socket) were also sent to hospital for precautionary scans as reserve Ryan Cross flashed over for two second-half tries from Giteau cut-out passes.

Expected to put up a much stiffer fight than in the 34-13 loss in Sydney last weekend, the French were their own worst enemies throughout the match.

Terrible first-half ball handling was compounded by ill-discipline under immense pressure at the breakdown, while the visitors also conceded a tight-head to the Wallabies' scrum.

The 30-point victory eclipsed the Wallabies' 35-12 1999 World Cup final win as their biggest over Les Bleus.

Australia's highest-paid rugby player, Giteau, who produced one of his most forgettable halves of Test rugby last week, was on song from the outset.

He opened the home side's account in just the third minute with an angled penalty goal, his first of four three-pointers in a dominant opening half.

The Wallabies first five-pointer came soon after when in-form local winger Peter Hynes scored a cherished maiden Test try in front of his 40,218-strong home crowd.

Sharp vision and a perfectly-placed cross-field kick by Giteau gave Hynes an easy take and run to the right corner after a slick lineout drive.

A wild brawl just before half-time drew Australian blood and showed some of Les Bleus' renowned passion still existed in their last game of a long season.

Horwill, only minutes after finishing a brilliant try, was forced into the blood bin after being on the receiving end of a flurry of Imanol Harinordoquy upper-cuts.

Horwill, who played no further part in the match, was penalised for sparking the all-in brawl by running into a fracas between hooker Stephen Moore and the French flankers.

When Giteau latched on to a charged down Luke Burgess pass and spun his way through the defence before flicking a pass to Horwill in the 36th minute, Australia seemed as good as home at 26-0.

The only joy the off-key tourists had was a counter-attacking try on full-time to five-eighth Francois Trin-Duc after a Wallabies turnover.

Skipper Stirling Mortlock cut a happy figure at the end of the match, impressed by his side's improvement on their opening two Tests of 2008 and proud of the second-half defence.

"We take a lot bit of pride in our defence and I think that showed tonight," Mortlock said.

"We were very disappointed to concede that late try but that came from a turnover when we were on attack.

"I'm incredibly impressed with all the spirited defence."

Shepherd's fracture, sustained when he was tackled at the end of a half-break, is a heart-breaking blow to the man who was expected to be Australia's full-back for the Tri-Nations.

The Wallabies selectors will announce their Tri-Nations squad on Monday and will have to think long and hard about who to include as cover for Adam Ashley-Cooper, who produced a solid game in the No.15 jersey.

With World Cup full-backs Chris Latham (shoulder) and Julian Huxley (brain tumour) sidelined, Western Force winger Drew Mitchell and Brumbies back Mark Gerrard will come into calculations for the position.

July 19, 2008

AUSTRALIA'S new direction under Robbie Deans received a massive boost when the Wallabies opened their Tri-Nations campaign with a tense 16-9 victory over world champions South Africa at Subiaco Oval.

Deans maintained his unbeaten record since taking the helm last month as the underdog Australians scored their most important win of their new era, scoring two tries to nil in front of 41,838 fans.

Lote Tuqiri and Stirling Mortlock scored tries on either side of the half-time break with Matt Giteau kicking a penalty goal and Berrick Barnes a late drop goal.

The Springboks' points came from two penalty goals to Francois Steyn and one to Butch James.

"It was never going to e perfect but obviously against an opponent that's very physical I'm very proud of the attitude and the mentality that the team showed," Deans said.

"Up against a side that is very able and very physical, they asked a lot defensively, the guys stood up to that with some great scrambling defence.

"We created a lot and could have achieved more."

It was always going to be a case of whether the emerging Wallabies could make it click against a Springboks outfit rolling with momentum.

Australia led 5-3 at half-time after Tuqiri had finished a superbly worked move to score the only try of the first 40 against the run of play.

George Smith grabbed the ball at the back of a lineout to send winger Peter Hynes charging forward and, on the ensuing play, the Wallabies backline finally clicked with some quick hands from Nathan Sharpe and Giteau.

Australia came out firing after the break and extended that lead to 10-3 within five minutes when a cut-out ball from Giteau and some sheer captain's determination saw Mortlock charge through Boks centre Jean de Villiers and drag three Springboks over the line.

But the groggy skipper reluctantly left the field moments later after being smashed in a tackle as Giteau extended the lead to 13-3 with a penalty goal in the 50th minute.

James' 53rd minute penalty goal made it 13-6 as the Springboks began to threaten a comeback.

Winger Bryan Habana dropped the ball over the line after a perfectly worked backline move in the 66th minute with Mortlock's replacement and local hero Ryan Cross making the telling tackle.

The South African speedster left the field afterwards with what appeared to be a left shoulder injury.

But his pain would have been compounded by the fact the Boks had also blown three good chances in the first half.

The South Africans edged closer with another Steyn penalty in the 69th minute as Australia looked to hang on in a tense final 10.

They might have scored a third try if Wycliff Palu had offloaded to an unmarked Benn Robinson just metres out before the Springboks began pressing again.

But Tuqiri topped a fine all-round performance tonight with bone-crunching hit on de Villiers which caused the ball to come loose and Australia moved in for the kill.

They saw off a fully clad streaker in the 78th minute before Barnes landed his drop goal in the 79th.

Tuqiri's try meant the winger equalled former Wallabies fullback Matt Burke as Australia's fifth highest Test tryscorer with 29 tries.

July 26, 2008

AUSTRALIA delivered Kiwi coach Robbie Deans his sweetest victory since taking the helm of the the Wallabies, convincingly downing New Zealand 34-19 in a pulsating Bledisloe Cup Test at ANZ Stadium.

The Wallabies scored four tries to three, while five-eighth Matt Giteau had a perfect night with the boot in front of 78,944 fans.

The match was the former Crusaders boss's first Test as coach against his homeland, and against All Blacks mentor Graham Henry, whose job Deans unsuccessfully applied for last year.

Clearly visible from the press box during the national anthems, Deans stood motionless - but perhaps not emotionless - during God Defend New Zealand before smiling as he belted out Advance Australia Fair.

He then watched as the courageous Wallabies put on their second-highest points tally ever against New Zealand and took a first step towards winning the Bledisloe for the first time since 2002 with their biggest win over the All Blacks since 1999.

“It was a fast game and they were stretched and the All Blacks had a lot of possession there,” Deans said.

“We were forced to defend for long periods and, at times, it was tenuous but they hung in and they created a lot of turnover ball just through the intensity of their tackles, and they were able to build enough pressure.”

Australia's tries came from backs Ryan Cross and Peter Hynes in the first half, and forwards Rocky Elsom and James Horwill in the second.

Giteau kicked all four conversions, a penalty goal and a timely drop goal.

For the All Blacks, Mils Muliaina, Andrew Hore, Andy Ellis scored tries while Dan Carter, who was a constant menace to the Wallabies defence, booted two conversions.

Australia led 17-12 after both sides had scored two tries in a frenetic first half, but the All Blacks took the lead for the first - and only - time in the match five minutes after the break when halfback Ellis capitalised on a scintillating bust from Carter.

The flyhalf's conversion made it 19-17.

“That was a good mental test but they got up and got on the front foot and finished strongly,” Deans said.

“Obviously there's enough belief there for them to keep going.”

But the Wallabies weren't about to roll over and, after some great counter attack from fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper, Elsom strode over in the 55th minute and Giteau's conversion made it 24-19.

All Blacks reserve halfback Jimmy Cowan was injured in the lead-up to the try and match officials were soon conferring over the return of No.9 Andy Ellis.

Ellis was ruled to be a blood bin replacement and Cowan later returned.

Australia went further ahead in the 67th minute when some typical Phil Waugh ferocity at the breakdown forced a turnover and Giteau slotted a drop goal for 27-19.

They made sure of the win in the 74th minute when Horwill crashed his way over, beating three All Blacks tackles in the process.

Earlier, centre Cross' try in his run-on Test debut had helped Australia to their halftime lead.

The former NRL star scored the first of Australia's five-pointers in the 10th minute when he found himself on the end of an overlap after Lote Tuqiri had made a brilliant burst and the Wallabies were up 10-0 after the same number of minutes.

The All Blacks fought back superbly and were only denied by two courageous trysaving tackles from Ashley-Cooper, who downed Sitiveni Sivivatu and a charging Rodney So'oialo in successive minutes.

But the fearsome counter-attacking ability of the visitors was demonstrated fully when they steamed 80 metres downfield in the 24th minute resulting in a try to fullback Muliaina and a 10-5 scoreline.

The Wallabies chanced their arm in the 31st minute when the ball was kept alive and Ashley-Cooper grubbered on the fly for winger Hynes to score before Hore set off on a barnstorming run for the line.

Without inspirational captain Richie McCaw, the All Blacks have now lost two Tests in a row for the first time since 2004.

And again the two defeats came at the hands of Australia and South Africa.

August 02, 2008

ROBBIE Deans' Australia bubble well and truly burst as the Kiwi coach tasted his first defeat since taking the helm of the Wallabies, a 39-10 loss to New Zealand in his homecoming Test at Eden Park.

Injury depleted New Zealand dominated Australia from the outset with a pinpoint kicking game, some smothering defence and enormous lineout pressure allowing them to score four tries to one in front of a jubilant sell-out crowd of 46,600.
Deans had taken Australia to five straight Test wins since assuming control in June, including a first up win over his homeland in Sydney last weekend.

But the All Blacks returned to their clinical ways after two straight losses, stretching their winning streak over the Wallabies at Eden Park to 10 games.

The Wallabies now need to win the remaining two Tests against New Zealand this year to win the Bledisloe Cup.

"There's still a long way to go," Deans said.

"It won't be the last time we lose and we'll win another game at some point as well.

"The response is obviously going to be important."

Deans said the All Blacks had managed to mirror what the Wallabies did during last week's win at ANZ Stadium.

"The All Blacks built pressure and didn't allow us to build any pressure," he said.

"They were very effective on the tackle line, on the gain line, very effective around the breakdown and as a consequence we weren't able to get into the game.

"They profited from some of that pressure that they built and it's one of those days where you try and create momentum, sometimes you look outside the square to do that and you just have a sense that nothing's going to work."

The coach bemoaned Australia's poor lineout, which lost several of their own throws.

"It's not one we'll look back on and reflect on with a lot of pride and that also probably reflected the way the game went," he said.

Bullocking prop Tony Woodcock got a first half double for the All Blacks, while Ma' a Nonu scored two in the second half and Dan Carter booted five penalties and two conversions.

For Australia, Adam Ashley-Cooper, who suffered a suspected broken hand, provided some hope with a first half try, which Matt Giteau converted after kicking an early penalty goal.

Leading 21-10 at half-time after scoring two tries to Australia's one, the All Blacks went further ahead four minutes after the break when Luke Burgess fumbled from a lineout and rampaging centre Nonu handled twice before scoring his side's third try.

Carter's conversion made it 28-10 and the Wallabies' winning streak under Deans was looking shaky.

The lead went out to 31-10 in the 57th minute when Carter slotted another penalty goal and, when George Smith was penalised, and roundly booed, for a 64th minute high shot on namesake Conrad Smith, the fly half's three points made it 34-10.

Nonu completed his double controversially in the final minute when he streaked down the left and appeared to lose control when planting the ball, but the try was awarded by TV match official Shaun Veldsman.

The bonus point ensured his side went top of the Tri-Nations table.

The All Blacks led 6-3 early and the pressure from their kicking paid dividends for the home in the 20th minute when Woodcock got his first, barging through a Giteau tackle close to the line.

They extended their lead to 18-3 four minutes later when Woodcock grabbed a ball deliberately tapped to him from the lineout by Ali Williams and easily charged over.

The Wallabies briefly settled and executed a sublime backline move in the 32nd minute for full-back Ashley-Cooper to touch down under the posts, but they didn't score another point after Giteau's conversion.