Rugby: Deans' assistants blamed for poor Tri-Nations

Former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer says Robbie Deans' assistants are not doing their job. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - Former Rugby World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer has accused Wallabies assistants Jim Williams and Richard Graham of not doing their jobs.

The Wallabies continued their woes in the Tri-Nations by capitulating 33-6 to the All Blacks on Saturday night, their sixth straight loss to New Zealand.

Since making the 2003 World Cup final, Australia have managed just ten victories from 30 matches in the competition and Dwyer believes there needs to be an urgent focus on teaching players the fundamentals of the game.

"I can't believe that Robbie Deans is not a good coach but equally I can't believe that his coaching staff are doing the job," Dwyer said.

"If they are doing the job, there would be results showing.

He also had little time for some of the selections made during the international season.

"I would say the same about the selectors, some of the selections beggar belief," Dwyer said.

"Who in their right mind ever thought that Richard Brown was a better footballer than Wycliff Palu. What element of his game is better?

"Whoever thought Pek Cowan, who I think is a talented youngster, who thought at this stage of his development that Pek Cowan is an international prop?

"There is no part of his game that is up to international standard, not one single part of his game."

Deans was labelled as the saviour of Australian rugby following his signing before the 2008 international season.

But even the super coach at the Crusaders has struggled to spark the Wallabies, they have won four of 12 Tri-Nations matches under him and dropped five of their past six.

The last time Australia had such a bad run was under Eddie Jones before he was sacked at the end of the 2005 season.

Deans is also part of Australia's selection panel with Williams and high performance manager David Nucifora holding the other spots.

Dwyer, who guided the Wallabies to glory at the 1991 World Cup, believed plenty of talented players were still being produced, such as Matt Giteau, Berrick Barnes, George Smith, Rocky Elsom and Tatafu Polota-Nau.

But he said players were falling short in fundamental areas of the game.

"I can't believe that those players have produced those sorts of things at training and not been able to produce them in a game," he said.

"I keep quoting Les Kiss (defence coach), `we have to do the fundamentals so many times and execute them so many times that they become part of our DNA'.

"The fundamentals must become part of your DNA so that you virtually can't do them incorrectly."

Australia's dire showing meant the national side went tryless in consecutive matches against the All Blacks for the first time in almost half a century.

Former test flanker Simon Poidevin said the Australians desperately needed to lift at the breakdown against the All Blacks in their next meeting on October 31 in Tokyo.

"Our Achilles heel right now against the All Blacks is the intensity at the breakdown contest, that is where they have got us every time over the last two or three years and that is where the side really needs to focus on its improvement," he said.

- AAP