Robbie Deans Column

Robbie Deans writes his EXCLUSIVE column for rugby.com.au

While matching the physical impact that was achieved by the All Blacks and the Springboks last weekend will require us to take another step up on the levels we have reached to date, I’ve got no doubts the Qantas Wallabies are capable of that.

Looking back on the first three matches of the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series, I’m comfortable that we have recorded general improvement in each game as the season has developed, while still retaining plenty of scope to progress even further.

That has been best encapsulated by the actions of the players in two key facets of the game: defense and discipline.

Both are areas where we made steady improvement.

While defensively we scrambled very well against Ireland in Melbourne; this part of our game improved significantly, in terms of the players’ understanding of our method and the confidence they had in it, across the two French Tests.

Defense largely comes down to attitude. It is about individuals showing the willingness to get up and back into the play straight away after going to ground having affected a tackle, in order to make another one.

In other words, staying connected to their team-mates, and the game.

While the French pressured us for significant periods in the first Test at Sydney, the attitude and intensity in defense that our players showed – especially on our goal-line - was such that we absorbed much of their pressure and restricted them to just one try.

A week later in Brisbane, we were even better.

It was a testimony to our work ethic in this area that the French again only managed one try – and that in the last act of play, while we were down to 14 men after Cameron Shepherd unfortunately had had to be stretchered off with his broken ankle.

While New Zealand and South Africa will offer a sterner examination of our defensive qualities, I’m confident the experience from our two most recent outings has only increased the players’ confidence in each other to do their jobs.

The best way of decreasing the collective defensive work load is by showing good on-field discipline. That was arguably the most pleasing aspect of our second performance against the French.

We conceded 10 less penalties in the second Test, than we had in the first.

That was a significant decrease, and has set a bench mark that we must match and look to improve on going forward.

Ill discipline is a poor reflection on a team’s collective attitude.

If players are prepared to concede penalties by taking short-cuts, they are not showing a great regard for their mates. This is because they are effectively placing them under greater pressure by handing the opposition more possession and enhanced field position.

Personal patience, in terms of staying within the game’s laws, while showing confidence in one’s team-mates to fulfill their roles, make up the two key ingredients of a disciplined side.

These are qualities we exhibited for much greater periods in Brisbane, which is a promising sign of how we are tracking as a unit heading into the Tri-Nations.

The attitude of the players towards everything that has been thrown at them since we first assembled six weeks ago has been encouraging.

What the indicators in defense and discipline suggest is that we are, as a group, not just putting in a maximum effort, but we are also beginning to play smart.

The onset of the Tri-Nations brings us back into the world of the experimental law variations, but this is not something I see as detrimental.

The ELVs are good for rugby.

They are allowing the game to be a greater expression of what it is supposed to be about by giving players greater license to express themselves, and referees more scope to keep the contest going.

The Investec Super 14, which was played under most of the ELVs that will feature in the Tri-Nations, saw teams rewarded for their innovation, and their ability to think (& act) quickly.

Those traits are certain to reappear in the Tri-Nations, especially in matches which are played in better conditions than those which greeted the tournament opener.

While we haven’t allowed the ELVs to over-complicate our preparations – given that the players are all familiar with most of them from their Super rugby experience – it is a dynamic that promises to add to the interest surrounding the tournament.