Wallabies looking to follow through
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans hailed his side’s tenacity after they held on to beat the All Blacks and claim the Tri-Nations crown, but warned the victory was “irrelevant” to the upcoming World Cup.
The Australians showed great commitment and determination to down the top-ranked Kiwis 25-20 in the tournament decider in Brisbane on Saturday to buoy their hopes of a third World Cup triumph in New Zealand in September-October.
The All Blacks have so often proved too resilient for the Wallabies, and clawed their way back from 20-3 down at half-time to draw level midway through the second half, but this time Australia held on for the victory.
Asked what had pleased him the most about the Wallaby performance, Deans said: “The win… getting it done.”
“We’ve had stanzas of good play in some of our recent meetings against the All Blacks but we haven’t gone the 80 minutes and that’s what we had to do and we got there,” he said.
It was only Australia’s third win in their last 14 encounters with the All Blacks, but significantly their second in their last three meetings.
The Wallabies, who edged out the All Blacks 26-24 in Hong Kong last October, had not beaten them at home in more than three years. The victory also ended a 19-year winless run against their trans-Tasman rivals in Brisbane.
The three tries to two victory gave the Wallabies their first Tri-Nations title in a decade and only their third in 16 seasons of the Southern Hemisphere championship.
Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper, who was cleared of kneeing All Blacks’ skipper Richie McCaw after being cited following the match, said the victory gave the Australians a lot of confidence heading into the World Cup.
“Any time you beat the All Blacks you’ve got to give yourself a pat on the back,” Cooper said.
“They’re not the best team in the world for no reason and the performance we put in as a team gives us a lot of confidence moving forward.
“But at the same time they (All Blacks) will be raring to go and the next time we happen to meet, if we’re lucky enough to make it through to the World Cup final, I’m sure they will be raring to get one back on us and likewise with us,” added the elusive playmaker.
New Zealand meet Tonga in Auckland in the opening match of the World Cup on September 9, while Australia begin their campaign against Italy on September 11.
AFP
