5 . Phar Laps Pavlova 12 Jul 2013 10:02 AM
Deans should have been cut 2 years ago after the RWC 11. Reds had won the SXV that year so McKenzie was ready. Ask John O'Neil

3 . deep 09 Jul 2013 03:23 PM
Deans was a brilliant coach when nestled within a familiar environment and where he had lengthy, consistent time with his squad to nurture his plans. At the Crusaders he was able to select people who either matched his mould or who would change to match it.

At provincial level that can work. At International level it becomes an obvious flaw.

The same problems were evident when he had influence over the All Blacks as assistent coach. Cullen put everywhere except fullback, Leon MacDonald (an OK fullback) left floundering at centre as the AB's get knocked out of the World Cup, while Tana Umaga sat on the bench.

I think John Hart, another brilliant coach in his local environment, suffered a few similar issues but to a lesser extent.

Graeme Henry and team excelled on these fronts. The 15 best players were always on the park and were always a united, motivated group with no visible disruption of any form. A RWC trophy is on the shelf as a result.

There is no doubt that Deans gave it his all, but I agree that in this situation it wasn't enough. A handful too many losses at the highest level, and more importantly far too many losses against lesser teams.

Now I'm really looking forward to the 'McKenzie's era'. There is more than a whiff of excitement about what he brings to the table.

1 . PatsPieEatingChamps 09 Jul 2013 05:44 AM
Coaching any major team is something of a poisoned chalice. As you rightly say, the players enjoy all the credit and usually the financial rewards when things go well, but it's always the coach to go first when things go wrong. I must admit, I was surprised that Australia appointed a foreign coach in the first place and even if Deans had enjoyed better results, it was surely never going to be a long term appointment.
Robbie Deans is a great coach with a great rugby mind as he proved over and over again . As a Springbok supporter I also agree that we want to play against a good Wallaby and a good All Blacks team. We always want to pit ourselves against the best and victory is never sweeter than when your rivals are at their best.
That begs the question. Was this the best Australian rugby team of the last 20 odd years? I think not. Some brilliant individuals with incredible skills but this Aussie team is a long way from your World Cup winning squads of old. There certainly appears to be a discipline problem with the players and whoever takes over will have their work cut out to get the team dynamics working again. Imagine a Wallaby team with arguably the best back line players in the world, competing upfront and scoring from all corners of the field. The Giteau's and Cooper's and Beale's when let harnessed correctly are well worth the entrance fee and can beat any team on their day. Throw in a little bit of Genia and Folua and Ioane and O' Connor and some discipline and hard work in the forwards and who knows what the next World Cup may bring?