Deans encourages diversity
5 Dec 2008
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says he won’t force Australia’s Super 14 franchises to conform to the same style of play.
This came in response to the question of whether it would be beneficial to the national cause for their franchise teams to play in the manner the national team do.
Deans stressed that he would help the teams where needed, but rejected the notion that he would like to see them adopt a uniform style.
“Obviously the [Australian] players will take some ideas back to their provinces. That’s up to them. But there’s no way I’ll be sticking my nose in where it’s not requested. We want the franchises to innovate. We want them to run their own campaigns, and take ownership of their own campaigns.”
Meanwhile, Deans said he will decide on his Wallabies management team for 2009 after Christmas but made it clear that there was still a role for Waratahs-bound forward coach Michael Foley.
“We’ll make those decisions after Christmas,” Deans said. “But Michael is still involved in Australian rugby, and he will be working with a lot of the players. In terms of the immediate management group, we’ll resolve that in time. But even if Michael wasn’t part of that, he will still be involved. We’ll still seek his counsel, and he’ll still get the opportunity to come along. You never discard anyone’s knowledge. No one has all the answers.”
Deans was cool in his assessment of his first season in charge.
“The whole experience has been great. They’ve all chipped in on and off the field, and the dynamic of the group has been good,” he said.
“Obviously against Wales we didn’t finish the Test the way we would like, but the indicators are there … this group will go into the break with a real sense of purpose for next year.”

37 Comments
5 Dec 2008, 09:05 am
Otherwise Dragons
5 Dec 2008, 09:05 am
Diversity Dragons
5 Dec 2008, 09:06 am
# Rum And Maple: Split second – shame on you
5 Dec 2008, 09:06 am
He He, me first… Friday starts gooood!!!
5 Dec 2008, 09:07 am
#3 Irish Devil: Gimme a break…It’s my first.
5 Dec 2008, 09:09 am
#5 Rum And Maple: Would have been my first as well.
5 Dec 2008, 09:11 am
And I must say that Oz looks good 4 the future…good coach and seeing some of the youngsters in the Barbarians game, they have some good talent coming through.
Now, if they can find decent props…
5 Dec 2008, 09:12 am
#6 Irish Devil: Eish…sorry…I know the feeling.
5 Dec 2008, 09:15 am
#6 Irish Devil: ID virgin.
5 Dec 2008, 09:16 am
#7 Rum And Maple: And losing both Waratahs props can’t be good for the S14 campaigns…
5 Dec 2008, 09:17 am
#9 King Shark:
Well almost.
5 Dec 2008, 09:18 am
#10 King Shark: Yes, I think the Tahs are not too happy at the moment. It seems to be a very difficult task to find props in Oz to start with, having to replace 2 on such short notice must be hell..he..he…
5 Dec 2008, 09:18 am
Deans is a smart man.
5 Dec 2008, 09:52 am
14
5 Dec 2008, 09:53 am
15
5 Dec 2008, 09:53 am
16
5 Dec 2008, 09:54 am
#14 Rum And Maple: should’ve gone with right wing & fullback! lol.
5 Dec 2008, 09:58 am
#17 Omo for Luke’s Puke: Ha,Ha…Now there is a good idea…
5 Dec 2008, 10:00 am
matt done-in better stay off the pies while he is on back recuperating…
i heard that a play opened in Oz, it’s the life of shane warne: wait here’s the article
SHANE Warne The Musical is about to debut in Melbourne and the cricket spin king and sometime ladies man is sulking because he didn’t give permission.
“I have had 13 unauthorised biographies done in my life and the first one I read was completely wrong,” Warne said.
Pictures: Shane Warne’s womanising scandals
“So the people who actually buy those suddenly start to believe that to be the case. I just think that it shouldn’t be allowed. You should have permission off anyone to write about their life, that should be the law.”
The 24-song show, from the team behind the successful musical Keating!, features tunes including Take the Pill and What an SMS I’m In.
Comedian Eddie Perfect has bronzed up and gone for a spiky blond hairdo to get into character as Warnie.
Warne says friends have seen previews of the show and told him to expect “good parts and bad parts” but he is unsure whether he will go and see it.
“It is hard when it’s you and you’re involved,” he said.
“It is different for other people to see it but when it’s you it affects you differently because you went through that.
“I’m a pretty easy target for a few cheap jokes but I brought some of that on myself.”
He said it.
5 Dec 2008, 10:01 am
#10 King Shark:
The Waratahs scrumming ability didn’t decrease at all, even after losing both starting props
5 Dec 2008, 10:04 am
#20 Richie_7: LOL!!!
5 Dec 2008, 10:11 am
#20 Richie_7: You must have a scrumming ability to start with in order to loose it.
5 Dec 2008, 10:53 am
#7 Rum And Maple: They looked good against the Baa Baas but playing a team that has played together for awhile it might be a different story. Without props they wont go much further.
5 Dec 2008, 11:16 am
Papio Hamadryas!
5 Dec 2008, 11:17 am
Hey guys try writing Papio Hamadryas in english and your comment will await moderation.
5 Dec 2008, 11:18 am
Bab oon
5 Dec 2008, 11:21 am
Did anyone realise that the collective noun for Bab oons (Papio Hamadryas) is Congress. It kinda explains a lot doesn’t it.
5 Dec 2008, 11:54 am
#27 DEE DAH: What are you on about?
5 Dec 2008, 12:10 pm
Deans has groomed hte Wallabies into a structured style of playing with emphasis on breakdown and penetrating back line. Typical Crusader brand of rugby and ofcourse they are super FIT. Now let us see what PDV calls his style and what is it going to be. I do feel that the Bokke are NOT as FIT as they should be – by some distance.
5 Dec 2008, 12:22 pm
Just thought this might be interesting for all those tax dodgers out there. Big brother SARS is watching you.
At least Big Garth gets to spend Xmas ’08 at Fancourt and not under the Constantiaberge. 
Former Springbok fast bowler Garth le Roux and his accountant Deon van Heerden have each been sentenced to an effective four years jail for tax fraud.
However, both men intend to appeal.
The sentence was handed down in Cape Town’s Wynburg Regional Court on Friday morning.
Magistrate Jackie Redelinghuys said tax evasion was both very common and very serious. “A message that people with big cheque books can buy their way out of prison is wrong,” he said.
In total R633,947 tax was not paid to Sars over three years.
The State gave notice that it might appeal the sentence.
Le Roux and Van Heerden’s bail was extended pending their appeal.
5 Dec 2008, 12:30 pm
#29 straight talk: doesn’t quite explain how or why they lost to Wales! One thing that Deans and PdV share in comman is that they’ve both been embarrassed one several occassions ala 19-0 in Cape Town, and Deans – losing 53-3 to the Boks and being outplayed Wales LOL! Now that’s really embarrassing! Still I don’t see Wallabies fans laying into him for that, in fact they seem to think its perfectly acceptable. Now can you imagine if the same thing happened to the Boks?! They’d been demanding Piet Helium head on a plate!
Just goes to show the hypocrisy of rugby fans and rugby journalism in general…
5 Dec 2008, 13:13 pm
#30 TASSIES:
That’s how we nailed Capone. Tax evasion.
5 Dec 2008, 13:35 pm
#31 JayDaFiveOh: No – it goes to show the importance and standards we have in rugby in SA vs in Aus. Heard Phil Kearns speak not too long ago and he reckons the reason aus does well in rugby is cause they excuse coaches if they dont do well. Rugby is not important enough in Aussie to remove a coach cause of public outcry.
In SA though…..
5 Dec 2008, 15:27 pm
#33 Cheetha Champs: I wouldn’t say its strictly true because given the amount of public outcry there’s been towards PdV then he should’ve gone a long time ago by your reckoning!
I think the difference is that in SA even when credit is due Bok fans are divided and reluctant to give credit when things do go well! I also think with Deans, his reputation at the Crusaders carries him when things go wrong! He clearly is a great coach but he’s only human along with the players and things will go awry sometimes. But with PdV, there’s this perception, because his english isn’t as good as his afrikaans and his very strong accent that he is a thick oke who knows nothing about rugby…added to that is his slightly random quotes, which isn’t helped by the prejudice of rugby journalists in SA (JC being the biggest culprit) possibly misquoting him. I’m not defending PdV to the hilt just trying to point out the hypocrisy because when things go wrong PdV is the worst Bok coach ever and when they do go right its thanks to Smit, Matfield et al and their puppet master Jake White!
Its about time fans in SA gained a bit of objectivity for a change!
5 Dec 2008, 18:49 pm
#34 JayDaFiveOh:
right on brother, preach it loud and preach it clear
6 Dec 2008, 01:50 am
I believe diversity is an old, old wooden ship.
8 Dec 2008, 04:25 am
#33 Cheetha Champs: Maybe we realise that we can’t win every game. All 3 TN teams are very close now in level so things can and will go wrong some of the time
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