Rugby: Deans aiming to pass the pressure on to All Blacks

Robbie Deans. Photo / Getty Images

It's looming. Double-digit defeat, horror headlines in the Sunday newspapers - more grist for those who oppose the tenure of cross-border coach Robbie Deans.

But, then again, victory tomorrow would have Deans anointed as King of the Convicts, in charge of a team on the rise inside the final-year countdown to the World Cup in New Zealand.

The papers will delight with stories about bursting the All Blacks' winning bubble and the Wallabies setting out on the search-and-destroy mission for their third global title.

"True Blue Robbie", "Dingo Deans", "Hail the Wallabies", "All Grey for the Blacks" will be some of the jingoistic themes posted by spikey sub-editors.

The Ockers like winners and, while Deans brought that reputation to the Great Sunburnt Land, for a variety of reasons he has been unable to get the Wallabies' success-rate much higher than mid-50 per cent.

A Wallaby win tomorrow won't alter that statistic much but it will give some thrust to the Wallabies; successive wins after beating the Boks in Bloemfontein - and a little breathing room for the John O'Neill/Deans political axis.

After the demands of a twin-test assignment in South Africa and the long-haul journey home, Deans might have wanted to rest a few of his troops.

But he does not have that luxury. Resources are slim anyway and Deans has about a dozen top players such as Ben Alexander, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Wycliff Palu, Rob Horne, Stirling Mortlock, Peter Hynes, Rod Davies and Digby Ioane who are on the long-term injured list or just recovering.

Deans does not have the depth of numbers or talent to be able to switch players. He has been fortunate to have strong political support and to have worked a few new faces like prop James Slipper and No8 Ben McCalman into the squad.

Asking the Wallabies to stay the distance tomorrow after a torrid few weeks in Africa, their journeys from sea-level to the high veld, readjusting their body-clocks and frames to more test rugby is a massive task.

Meanwhile, the All Blacks are rested after their voyage to the republic. Many were scarred by the events in Christchurch, dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake. But they are physically sharp and maintain they are mentally in the zone to clean-sweep the Tri-Nations and continue their march towards breaking the world record of 17 consecutive test wins they share with the Boks.

Which team has the most pressure on them? Probably the All Blacks. They should be favourites and, if that equates to pressure, then they are under more.

They beat the Wallabies in successive tests this year in Melbourne and Christchurch. In their first meeting, the All Blacks had the test won by the interval but the re-match was much tighter as the All Blacks, on the back of a stronger scrum and two-tries-to-one advantage, held on for a 10-point winning margin.

Not quite convincing, but the All Blacks rarely looked like losing.

They should have lost to the Boks in Soweto, but escaped. Not many of them want to talk about beating that record of 17 test wins but it is now on the horizon. And with that comes extra pressure - just the sort they can expect to feel in next year's World Cup.

It could be the anxiety of a moment, a decision, a choice of move or a shot at goal - all those pieces which go to complete a full international rugby jigsaw.

The Wallabies this weekend, then the same mob again next month in England at Twickenham. And, if those matches are all won, the All Blacks will attack the world record at Murrayfield, against Scotland.

Each time, the task will get stronger, as will the criticism of everything from the legality of Richie McCaw's play to the tightness of their jerseys. The All Blacks will have to endure complaints, accusations and questions about their methods.

They have to soak it up, let it flow over them; to play the game they are trained for and let their coaches deal with the bulk of the heat.

Psychological warfare is the domain of the staff, marketing or public relations junkies, topics for the media and public to thrash through.

For the All Blacks, though, it is all eyes on referee Mark Lawrence tomorrow night in Sydney, when he signals the start of their latest shift.