Deans did not shy away from his intentions. Ioane was a strong defender, he said, and that freed Quade Cooper to operate from the backfield as he had done with the Reds this season.
He was a smart footballer who would adapt and there was no point in picking a player like Cooper and then trying to shackle his free spirit.
"Digby has a great capacity to work and loves being involved and Quade has not defended in the frontline this year. It would have been a big adjustment for him to go back into that.
"It is not that we don't believe he can't do it, he defended there right throughout last year's campaign, but he is established in that role and we thought it catered for our needs."
Ioane had topped the Wallaby tackle-and-carry count against the Springboks, a statistic which All Black midfielder Ma'a Nonu corroborated when he was also quizzed on the decision.
The inside channels on set piece defence were always busy and Deans knew the All Blacks liked to test those areas, though they were also very capable of attacking many other areas on the park.
While Deans was happy to discuss that theory he was not prepared to engage in any slagging match with his old mate Steve Hansen. The Wallabies respected the All Blacks fullstop, move on.
This test was extremely important and as significant as any test match against the All Blacks.
"No doubt there will be lots of conclusions, scrutiny and interest in the match," he said.
The Wallabies kept their same starting side while the All Blacks had a much more experienced squad and could interchange their choices because of that.
Deans believed his side's scrummaging had improved and they had put an emphasis on that area of their game. He was worried when Benn Robinson was injured but others had stepped up.
Scrums might be reduced in the modern game but they were still a crucial launching pad.
"Possession is key these days and making the most of the possession you have got is key and the All Blacks will obviously be looking to use their scrum as a weapon in terms of denying our ability to play and when the margins are so tight who knows what the point of difference is going to be?" he said.
Henry said his side offered Ali Williams a further chance to solidify his progress at lock. The panel knew what Sam Whitelock delivered.
Not so certain was the contribution of Sitiveni Sivivatu but he appeared to have fully recovered from a knee niggle. But if he faltered again, Cory Jane would take his starting role.
Selections had been a juggling act with fitness, immediate and future needs all coming into discussions.
"What we are trying to do is look at the big picture, as well as the immediate picture, and we are just trying to give people an opportunity to be selected in the Rugby World Cup," Henry said.
Zac Guildford and Jane got those chances last week and demanded reselection but that would not have given Hosea Gear and Sivivatu their chance to make similar demands.
The selection balance came down to making changes and picking a team to win. It was difficult but 2011 was one of those years when they had to do that.
"We have got confidence in the players we have picked to do the job," Henry said.
"You are not going to totally answer that question until 9.30 on Saturday night so that's what we are trying to do. We are looking at the immediate, trying to give people the opportunity to play well and looking at the future and trying to make sure these guys have had the opportunity to play in the World Cup."
