Wallabies latest – Deans lauds scrum saviour
23 Nov 2010
Keo.co.za brings you the latest from the Wallabies’ end-of-year tour.
Deans lauds scrum saviour - Robbie Deans says referee Christophe Berdos was one of only a few officials who don’t have a preconceived perception of Australia’s scrum.
The Frenchman, Deans said, was fair in his calls in the Test against Italy. ‘The really exciting thing was it’s the first instance we’ve had a referee base a decision on reality as opposed to preconceived ideas and give the benefit to the negative incentive,’ Deans said. ‘As long as referees are provided with negative incentives, teams and players will take it.
‘There’s no doubt a lot of decisions in the past have been based around preconception, as opposed to what has actually happened. We saw examples of that last night. Let’s be truthful here, [Italian tight-head prop Martin] Castrogiovanni was having a giggle. He was having a laugh. He probably chose the wrong bloke to do it with, because scrummaging is big in France and Christophe is smart enough to take a look.’
No rest for World Cup Wallabies - The management of Australia’s World Cup certainties will be left to their franchises.
Robbie Deans said he hoped common sense would be applied to the situation. ‘We won’t be intervening at all,’ he said. ‘There will obviously be a bit of dialogue. We have systems in place now that we didn’t have before … Ultimately it is about the players.’
Calls for retention of new blood - Senior Australian rugby writer Spiro Zavos says the senior players cut for the Italy Test have to earn their recall.
Zavos noted that their replacements thrived in Florence and was in favour of their retention. ‘There has been criticism of the reshaped Wallabies’ 32-14 victory over Italy. And already there are dire predictions about what France will do to the Wallabies in Paris on Saturday. My reading of the Test, though, is that all the replacements brought in played well enough to justify selection in the starting side against France,’ he wrote.
‘Berrick Barnes, for instance, with his six successful penalties, most of them from a long way out, seems to have solved a chronic problem for the Wallabies this season. The losses to England at Sydney and at Twickenham would probably have been reversed had Barnes been on the field to kick the penalties that were missed in those Tests.’
7 Comments
23 Nov 2010, 11:19 am
Don’t pin your hope on this Frog Dragon!
23 Nov 2010, 12:53 pm
Barnes is good enough to start somewhere.
And Cameron Shepherd deserves a place in the squad – probably the most accurate goal-kicker of the lot.
Is Mortlock looking for a WC place?
And will Vickermann play in S15?
23 Nov 2010, 12:54 pm
Giteau had fome fine games for the Force at 10.
But since Larkham’s departure and Mortlock being injured, Gits hasn’t looked as good as he used to be at test level.
23 Nov 2010, 13:12 pm
Deans is a good coach and a smart operator. He must know that the Wallaby scrum is up against it. Accordingly, he embarks on a program of seizing every opportunity to ameliorate the the shortcomings of his “eight” by way of praising the odd referee who seems to be less harsh when it comes to officiating the scrum (Wallabies).
The utterances are what are expected of a good coach and South Africa (I believe) would flourish if he replaced DeV. However, as the old adage enunciates “You canna make a silken purse out of a sows ear”.
Inherent in Deans’ comments is the suggestion that all other referees are off the mark.
23 Nov 2010, 23:33 pm
@Bludeks(Bludeks) : Deans was right, watch the game again if you get the chance, Even before Deans mentioned it I could see that Castrogiovanni was not going in straight, Sommerville used to do the same thing, and when they did pack straight we didn’t lose a scrum, what a suprise
24 Nov 2010, 01:21 am
@Bludeks(Bludeks) : True…Deans is beginning to go down a road he never had to when in charge of the Crusaders because he had a team that could deliver the goods. Now he is beginning to employ the whinge tactics and laying blame elsewhere for his teams short comings. They got trounced by England in ’04 at the WC ( as we did against France)and now they have been done over again a year out and on the end of one of their worst streaks in history. Is he going to take the blame or blame his team?
24 Nov 2010, 01:58 am
@Bludeks(Bludeks) : The thing is Deans is not the only smart operator out there.
Other teams know that the Wallaby scrum is up against it. Accordingly, they embark on a program of seizing every opportunity to highlight their shortcomings, by any means possible.
Packing in at an angle, pulling down their opposing prop, pulling back on the engagement so scrum collapses.
Between two equally strong packs the players would know these tricks would be less effective, plus the ref would be looking more closely for these indiscretions.
But when one team is seen as clearly stronger in the scrum, the assumption is that any scrum failure is on the part of the weaker pack. Referees are only human, and it is tough to break pre-conceived notions such as this even for them.
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