Deans: 'We could've achieved more'
Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:13
Winning start: Wallaby coach Robbie Deans
'We created a lot, we could have achieved more', is how Australian coach Robbie Deans summed up his team's 16-9 Tri-Nations win over the Springboks at the Subiaco Oval in Perth on Saturday.
It was Deans's first Tri-Nations match in charge of the Wallabies and he said at full-time: "When you play a Test match of this nature and this intensity you are never going to get a flawless performance, but the effort was good and that's a priority.
"It was a good way to start the Tri-Nations. It was never going to be perfect, but obviously against an opponent that is very physical, I am very proud of the attitude that the team showed."
Deans was reluctant to provide too much analysis on his team's performance, but said that he had been impressed by the dominance at the breakdown as well as with their defensive effort.
"I will go back and take a good look at the video," he said.
"We were up against a side that is very able and very physical. Defensively they asked a lot and the guys stood up to that. There was some great scrambling defence.
"Defence is something that comes from within. There was good technique and good heart today."
The Wallabies will host the All Blacks in Sydney next Saturday.
Kiwi Deans, once in the running for the All Blacks top job, is taking the challenge of facing his countrymen in his stride.
"Obviously there is a lot of interest in the game," he admitted. "There will be a fair amount of banter flying around no doubt."
