Spiro Zavos ponders Robbie Deans' legacy in New Zealand rugby as he looks to plot their downfall as coach of Australia in The Sydney Morning Herald.
"Hoist by his own petard. Wallabies coach Robbie Deans endured the acute pain on Saturday night during the Bledisloe Cup Test at Melbourne of seeing several players he developed into stars when he coached the Crusaders destroy his team. But would the Franks brothers, Brad Thorn, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read or Daniel Carter have been the great players they have become if they had been developed by Australian Super rugby coaches? They might not have.
"Deans cleverly played Thorn as a second-rower, rather than as a loose forward. And in doing so he maintained the Crusaders' tactic (now standard practice around the world, except in some Australian sides) of having a scrummaging, hard-yards second-rower (Todd Blackadder before Thorn) to complement a taller, jumping partner. Deans, though, spent hours getting Thorn's jumping right by practising with him, having Thorn catch an old boot. On Saturday night Thorn won his one lineout throw and made important passes in both of Cory Jane's tries.
"When Carter first came into the Crusaders squad, Deans asked him what his goals were for the season. "To take Mehrts' [Andrew Mehrtens's] place," he replied. "Good answer," Deans told him. A common sight at the end of the Crusaders' practices was Deans teaching Carter all the tricks of how to kick a rugby ball."
RSS feed
