Deans sticks with tried and tested
Deans yesterday did little tinkering with the team that comprehensively outplayed England 18-9 at Twickenham by making just one change; the experienced George Smith drops to the bench and inspirational youngster David Pocock is promoted.
After turning around an unenviable sequence of five Test losses, the New Zealand born coach Deans is not tempted to change for change sake.
He insisted Pocock’s selection was very much planned and few could argue with that considering the youngster will be starting for the fourth time in five Tests on Sunday.
“We obviously looked at a number of options relating to selection as we always do, but the back row was probably the toughest area for us; it’s an area where there is probably more contact than anywhere else on the ground.
“We are blessed with a couple of world-class open-sides who have been sharing the work between games and even within games. There is not a lot of difference, and to that end to have a player that is very fresh and excited can often be the only point of difference,” he said.
Deans persists with the inexperienced but impressive midfield duo of Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane who get a second successive start against a vastly more experienced Irish duo of Brian O’Driscoll and Paddy Wallace.
“We’re going on what these guys have achieved of late, on how they have been playing, it’s more of a challenge for the group to push on than on either of the two midfield individuals,” said Deans whilst recognising the threat that O’Driscoll, particularly, will pose.
He added: “You just don’t take an eye off a world-class player like that, simple.”
Yet Deans was more keen to reflect on the broader issue of having beaten England at Twickenham; needless to mention he admitted to being delighted and relieved: “We needed a win; until you get up and achieve that you feel under pressure a bit, even if we have been feeling we were not far away from being where we wanted to be.
“Losing can become detrimental unless you get confirmation of your potential. The win was important. Hopefully, we have taken a bit of belief from it; our challenge now is to recognise that this level (against England) will be inadequate this week.
“Once we embrace that and attend to the detail around our preparation, I would be happy we would give ourselves the best chance of performing well against an Irish side that has beaten all before them,” he said.
Tongue in cheek, Deans harked back to how he had talked England up before that game, describing them as more powerful opposition than Ireland. But the coach admitted yesterday: “What was said then was last week, this is this week, but you could probably say yes, that Ireland present a bigger challenge.
“Ireland deservedly won the Grand Slam and that’s not an easy thing to achieve. They played some very good rugby in achieving it; that alone is evidence of what we’re likely to expect,” he said.
While Deans is happy to have turned away from that losing streak, acknowledging that it was a deserved win, he has warned players and fans that better doesn’t make for perfect.
“We will get a much more serious inquisition defensively against Ireland because of the personnel in the team; Ireland will certainly be more direct and more physical. England became lateral in trying to achieve breaks, I don’t think that will be Ireland’s way; they will physically ask the questions of us both,” he believes.
No better man to coach him in what will be required physically is new Wallaby captain Rocky Elsom, whose experience of Irish rugby throughout Leinster’s marvellous Heineken Cup winning season is both fresh and appropriate in assessing some of the opposition players.
Deans isn’t that confident that the information will be all one-way traffic, however: “I think it will be a two-way street. Rocky played for and against a host of very clever Irish rugby players during his year here; he will have built up some information but they will have had the same opportunity to pick up on Rocky.
“It will be an interesting afternoon, there will be a result but I wouldn’t know what that would be.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
