Deans in no danger of axe
23 Nov 2009
Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill says that coach Robbie Deans’s job is safe despite a season of poor results.
The Wallabies were woeful in their 9-8 defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday, and Deans has an ordinary record of just 14 victories and a draw from 27 Tests since taking over last year. Under his leadership they have won just two of their last 10 Tests, including winning just one match in the Tri-Nations.
O’Neill said he was ‘devastated’ by the loss, but he refuted the suggestion that Deans, who is contracted until after the 2011 World Cup, was in danger of losing his job.
‘We have every confidence in Robbie Deans being the right coach for us,’ O’Neill told the Sydney Morning Herald.
O’Neill explained that there would be a review of the season with Deans and leading officials from the ARU after their year-end tour, but stressed that it wouldn’t be an attack on the coach.
‘The results are clearly disappointing and not acceptable,” O’Neill said. ‘We have two more games to go on the tour and rest assured we will be reviewing every aspect of this tour. [High Performance manager] David Nucifora, myself, Robbie Deans and the ARU board will have a good, hard look at what is going wrong.
‘It will be an objective, balanced assessment of the pros and cons of this entire season. It will take in all of the Test matches starting from June and finish off with this tour. ‘It is crucial that we are really confrontational with every aspect of “Team Wallaby”.’
Defeat in the midweek fixture against Cardiff on Tuesday is sure to heap additional pressure on Deans. However, he has named a young but competent side to face the Blues.
Australia - 15 James O’Connor, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Tyrone Smith, 11 Kurtley Beale, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Mitchell Chapman, 5 Dean Mumm (c), 4 Dave Dennis, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Pek Cowan.
Subs: 16 Salesi Ma’afu, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 George Smith, 20 Richard Kingi, 21 Quade Cooper, 22 Luke Morahan.
189 Comments
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Show All
23 Nov 2009, 08:32 am
not so sure
23 Nov 2009, 08:40 am
Isn’t that the sort of press statement that often gets released just before a coach leaves??
23 Nov 2009, 08:55 am
Oh Flower of Scotland ! Cant believe Giteau missed the conversion – made my evening !
23 Nov 2009, 08:58 am
Today, the whole day, and the whole week, and the whole of next year, ……….
I AM A SCOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
23 Nov 2009, 09:08 am
Oh Wallabie
Wherefore art thou?
Speak up loser!
23 Nov 2009, 09:21 am
Wallabies are brilliant one week and shocking the next.
23 Nov 2009, 09:36 am
No, Wallabies are brilliant one week and shocking the next 4 – 5.
23 Nov 2009, 10:06 am
an axe by any other name… is still an axe…
The headline says “Deans in no danger of axe”
Well, if the rumours are to be believed, I’m sure Phil Waugh and few other players wouldn’t mind burying the hatchet with Deans…
burying it as deeply as possible in his back…!!
I’d say he’s in big danger…!!!
23 Nov 2009, 11:35 am
I am here.
Not too far away.
I am not too concerned about the wallabies. they are crossing the line but failing to turn it into points.
Deans is not getting the rub of the green…it will come. I would be concerned if they did not have opportunities.
This a young side teething towards maturity.
Enjoy our loss while it lasts because I will be enjoying our victories very soon.
Although our loss to Scotland cant be as bad as olosing to Leicester and Saracens.
23 Nov 2009, 11:36 am
Deans is safe because we all can see what he is trying to do…building up the stocks and getting youth in.
He gets it right next year it is going to be a sorry few years for many a opposition.
23 Nov 2009, 11:48 am
@wallabie.: Keep on saying to yourself you might even believe it
23 Nov 2009, 11:54 am
@wallabie.:
What’s with the stupid pencil-thin taches all your players have now.
23 Nov 2009, 11:58 am
@Dawn:
They are actually all wannabie porn stars..they are in the wrong game!!
pun intended.
23 Nov 2009, 12:01 pm
@JL1:
what were the boks track record a year out before the world cup.
Reckon the wallabies still have a better year than that of the boks then.
23 Nov 2009, 12:02 pm
@wallabie.:
Goodness they look stupid.
23 Nov 2009, 13:01 pm
S C O T L A N D !
S C O T L A N D !
S C O T L A N D !
S C O T L A N D !
S C O T L A N D !
S C O T L A N D !
S C O T L A N D !
S C O T L A N D !
S C O T L A N D !
23 Nov 2009, 13:05 pm
@wallabie.: TEST MATCH RUGBY!!!! Actually the last time we lost to Scotland was in the dark years of Straeli. He kept saying he was building for the future and concentrating on the World Cup. Sound familiar? It was our worst WC ever!!!!
23 Nov 2009, 13:07 pm
@wallabie.: Walla what happened against Scotland
23 Nov 2009, 13:10 pm
@Dawn:
Good on you Dawn. Proud of those Scots beating Oz. They defended like demons well bravehearts 
Felt good for my Scottish mates to get that win. They probably still having a party over there
23 Nov 2009, 13:30 pm
@Ratel Brussow (MSIUR):
We are actually rebuilding and not some lame excuse streauli used to keep himself in the gravy train.
23 Nov 2009, 13:31 pm
@Puma:
Lowering ourselves as low as the boks.
23 Nov 2009, 13:33 pm
@Ratel Brussow (MSIUR):
that loss to the scots in games is not too long ago for the boks.
How long ago was the loss to leicester and saracens?
23 Nov 2009, 13:34 pm
@wallabie.: Rebuilding what? Cause from my angle its a house of cards that keep collapsing every time a breeze blows.
23 Nov 2009, 13:36 pm
@wallabie.: Not as recent as the TEST MATCH loss to SCOTLAND. Haha, you are an embarrassment to Southern Hemisphere rugby. Come on pull up your socks, you’re discrediting all of us.
23 Nov 2009, 13:38 pm
@wallabie.: Boks lost to France who are playing great rugga Walla.
Thought Gits would get that conversion and it missed by miles.
Just had to feel happy for my Scot mates that went to the game. The faces of all the Scottish supporters in the stand was brilliant. They probably thought they lost it too when Oz got that try in extra time. Then the missed conversion just saw all of them in the stands going crazy. For them it will be like winning a world cup.
I know well. I had four Scottish mates here in 2002 and told them that Boks would slaughter them and they beat us that day. Have never lived it down
They will remind me of that forever.
Ag, it goes like that really. Oz will be up for this game against Wales this week but think Wales are playing some good rugby, it wont be easy. Nor will be the game for the Boks against Ireland. Going to be tough. Think we do miss the 4 players that are missing.
23 Nov 2009, 13:41 pm
@wallabie.: Walla those games against Sarries and Tigers. That was not the Springboks. That was SUPPOSED to be our 2nd best side but it was not. About 10 players never got selected to tour that should have. Not sure why they selected some of those players that went. Crazy. Here we called them the Dirt Tracker team not the Boks. So I really don’t count those games. That was not SpringBoks playing.
23 Nov 2009, 13:43 pm
i am a proud saffa today.
proud of my scots kin and proud of my bokke.
23 Nov 2009, 13:43 pm
@wallabie.: Keeping on about Leicester and Saracens is clutching at straws. We are talking TEST rugby, not midweek games by second.thrid stringers! But, If we have lost to NZ 4 times, SA twice, once to Scotland and drew against Ireland, I to would probably be clutching at straws…. Only two wins against teams in the top four this year!
The boks have played 11 games against teams in the top four this year (I think I can say that the B & I Lions are ranked above you guys this year). Only one game agianst a team outside the top 4 and still we ahve a better record!
But, like u said, it may all change soon…
23 Nov 2009, 13:44 pm
@wallabie.:
Don’t start a brawl.
We ain’t gloating.
23 Nov 2009, 13:47 pm
the wallabies are pretty poor at the moment and i just dont see them getting all that much better before 2011.
i am not wishing anything bad on them but just saying it like i see it.
when you take into account the fact that some of their stars are on their last legs and may not make 2011, it paints a pretty poor outlook for them.
23 Nov 2009, 13:47 pm
@Dawn: Scotland Obray!
23 Nov 2009, 13:54 pm
@rangerman:
You can say that again
23 Nov 2009, 13:59 pm
@Dawn: Scotland Obray!
23 Nov 2009, 14:00 pm
The ozzies really devalued the Tri-Nations victory for boks. What a bunch of plonkers, loosing to Scotland!
23 Nov 2009, 14:01 pm
@wallabie.:
You got a point there.
Scotland is bad enough, but LEICESTER and SARACENS ???!!??????
W T F
As for Scotland, well it had been 27 long years since they beat Australia. Altho its been only 7yrs since they beat the Boks. Who were lucky to escape Murrayfield 12mths ago with that proud record still intact.
23 Nov 2009, 14:04 pm
@rangerman:
I can’t HHHEEEEEEEAAAARRRR you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
23 Nov 2009, 14:05 pm
cmon kiwis and wallabie supporters…….be honest now……you were our ******* this year.
we may have been diabolical for many years, but in 2009 we are clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the world.
the ab’s and wallabies?
eh, not so much
23 Nov 2009, 14:10 pm
@WakaNathan: It really hurts knowing that the boks where and is better than NZ and Aus this year, doesn’t it?
23 Nov 2009, 14:14 pm
@fsjakes:
Altho, its a struggle to remember how bad it must feel to lose to the team that lost to Scotland.
23 Nov 2009, 14:16 pm
@WakaNathan: Not as bad as not being able to beat the side that lost to the team that lost to scotland…
23 Nov 2009, 14:18 pm
haha, just like it must be horrible to think that we beat the team (argies) who beat the team that beat the kiwis out of wc2007 (the frogs) TWICE
suck it up. 2009 will forever be the year of the bok.
you know it, we know it.
the irb know it.
23 Nov 2009, 14:44 pm
@WakaNathan:
atleast NZ and Aus know what it feels like to beat France this year.
23 Nov 2009, 15:34 pm
@rangerman: Head and shoulders above Frogs, too? cmon, 0-3 in last 3 Tests.
So, speaking about the *******, Frogs own you.
23 Nov 2009, 16:11 pm
@WakaNathan: True, but THAT is about IT…
23 Nov 2009, 16:25 pm
@Nils: silly nils.
france beat nz IN nz, when nz were fresh as daisies.
we lost in france, by 7 points, at the end of a very long season.
if you want to stick to your line of reasoning, fine. what it really means is that france and south africa are better than nz.
but if you took off the goggles for a bit you might actually be able to admit that beating nz 4 out of the last 6 tests means the boks have the wood over the all blacks for a change.
i guess it is the churlishness of nz supporters that truly turns me off them. the national sport of denial is actually what leads to the schadenfreude displayed by fans of other nations when nz crash out of another world cup.
me? i respect nz and am just enjoying the boks being unequivocally better than them at the moment.
23 Nov 2009, 16:35 pm
@rangerman: Cmon. Nobody argues that SA played better than NZ this year. Not me.
I do not recall myself calling Boks as ABs ******* when they were owned in recent years. Silly thing of respect, I guess. I can understand that finally it’s your time to party, and who can deny that. Just let’s not a bit overcelebrate.
Speaking of Frogs win in NZ, “fresh as daisies” means rusty as hell. I know it. You know it. No disrespect to the Frogs, they finally send good team down there and reaped the rewards while hosts were rusty.
“at the end of a very long season”, yes, you are right. The problem is, Boks are not the only ones. And if ABs who have had even more long season and more enduring tour (compare 5 Tests + BaaBaas to 3 Tests) do beat the Frogs on Saturday, I’m afraid, your argument will fly out of the window.
Again (to make things more relaxed) no argument, Boks were better than ABs this year. You know it, I know it.
I may change soon again.
23 Nov 2009, 16:37 pm
Pass me a Cuban cigar while I buy my bonny Scotsmen a whiskey.
23 Nov 2009, 16:38 pm
@Dawn: wearing a kilt?
23 Nov 2009, 16:39 pm
@Big Hit:
They better be wearing kilts.
The lot of them.
23 Nov 2009, 16:47 pm
@rangerman: “if you want to stick to your line of reasoning, fine. what it really means is that france and south africa are better than nz.”
Just one more remark for a friendly banter. Ok, SA-NZ 3-0, SA-Fra 0-1, Fra-Aus 0-1, Aus-NZ 0-4. Full circle.
Just kidding, do not feel offended.
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.