By Nick Mulvenney
SYDNEY, June 24 (Reuters) – Australia coach Robbie Deans
believes the three-test series against Wales was the perfect
preparation for the back-to-back tests against the All Blacks
with which the Wallabies open the inaugural Rugby Championship
in August.
The Wallabies wrapped up a 3-0 series sweep over the Welsh
with victory by a single point in a third close test against the
the Six Nations Grand Slam champions at the Sydney Football
Stadium (SFS) on Saturday.
The players now return to their provinces for the climax of
the Super Rugby season before regrouping for the start of the
replacement for the Tri-Nations, which now features Argentina as
well as New Zealand and South Africa.
Deans believes it will be the ‘toughest ever’ southern
hemisphere championship and certainly Australia have been handed
a forbidding start with tests against the world champions in
Sydney on Aug. 18 and Auckland a week later.
“We couldn’t have had a better opponent to prepare us for
what’s coming,” Deans told reporters at the team hotel on
Sunday.
“The Welsh play 80 minutes, they look to attack when they
sniff an opportunity, turnover ball from their own goal line
doesn’t concern them, and that’s classically New Zealand.
“Those are two key traits that New Zealanders possess and
they’re probably the two key traits we have to master in order
to get home and then you’ve got all the other more obvious
formal stuff, set piece and there’s a lot we can do …
“We can add some polish to what we’re doing, there’s no
doubt we’ll do that, but it’s going to be the toughest Rugby
Championship ever I think,” Deans added.
Continued…
