Rugby: Deans heads home for some NZ thrills

Robbie Deans. Photo / Getty Images

Robbie Deans will head home to New Zealand for some jetboating and a family catch-up after winding up his second rollercoaster season as rugby coach of the Wallabies.

Deans and the Wallabies left London yesterday optimistic about their future prospects after signing off from their spring tour of Japan, Britain and Ireland with a resounding victory over Wales in Cardiff.

The 33-12 triumph, Australia's biggest win over Wales in Cardiff since the successful 1991 World Cup campaign, gave the Wallabies four victories, two defeats and a draw on their seven-match tour.

All up, they ended the year ranked third in the world after six wins, a draw and seven losses, six of the defeats coming at the hands of fellow Tri Nations superpowers South Africa and New Zealand.

While the Wallabies won't play again until next June, Deans won't be idle for the next seven months.

He is looking forward to a small break in his home country, where he will attend his daughter Annabel's high school leaving ball in Christchurch and do some jetboating.

Deans' daughter plans to study law, commerce and languages in Sydney.

Deans is back in Australia before Christmas to front the ARU board for a performance review of the spring tour.

With his new-look side averaging just 24 years a player, and featuring outstanding talents such as James O'Connor, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, David Pocock, Benn Robinson and Ben Alexander, Deans hopes the Wallabies are on the rise heading towards the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

"But you never arrive to that end. You've got to keep attending to all the detail, but we know from within that we're tracking in the right direction," he said. "You can never take your foot off the pedal. You've got to keep going.

"But these guys are developing disciplines that will really serve them well if they keep going."

Deans plans to work closely with the Super 14 franchises over the coming months to help improve the depth and identify talent in Australian rugby.

"There's always more you can do, but the review is something that we routinely do within a week, let alone within a campaign or within a year," Deans said.

"It's important, just to make sure that we do have our eyes wide open and that we're anticipating opportunities and threats essentially.

"I'm up in front of the board before Christmas to that end and then we kick back into supporting the franchises - planning and working with the franchises, not only the Super 14 sides and the coaching staff but the next generation of players.

"There's certainly some enthusiasm here that's going to go back and we believe we're starting to build some depth. Hopefully that will become evident in the way they play."

- AAP