Deans braced for killer season
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans believes that constant communication between all role players will be key to properly managing Australian players in what will be an intensely congested season next year.
With the Super Rugby tournament set to be broken up by a four week break for inbound Tests in June, and then closely followed by the four-nation Rugby Championship before the Wallabies set off for their usual year-end tour to Europe some players face constant rugby from February to December.
This bumper season means that Deans faces a serious challenge in ensuring that his top players are fresh and firing when he needs them to be and he explained that the responsibility to avoid burn-out will fall on the players themselves as well as their various management structures.
He told AAP: “Player management will be key, ultimately the players themselves have to master that. But there will be a lot of dialogue and interaction between all parties because we’re all in this together and the players are our key resource.
“It is a totally new experience what we’re going into, there’s no doubt, starting in February going right through into December, no let up,” he pointed out.
The Kiwi mentor conceded that it will take all of his wisdom and communication skills to ensure that his players do not hit a brick wall, especially when they will be asked to go from Super Rugby action to Test match rugby against Scotland and Wales in a matter of days.
He commented: “Within that there’s some challenges where we go from Super Rugby on a Saturday to a Test match Tuesday, a Test match Saturday, so it’s going to take some thought and it’s going to take some wise management.”
The Wallabies leave soon for their whistle-stop tour to the United Kingdom which will see them take on a star-studded Barabrians side before they play Wales at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, and Deans is confident that his side will not be too lethargic despite the fact that they are at the end of a very long season.
“I don’t envisage they will be tired at all, I think they will be quite refreshed,” Deans said.
“Obviously it’s been a big year, but they have had some time away from the game the last couple of weeks since the World Cup and I’m expecting these blokes will be really quite keen to go.”
