Deans issues Wallabies with RWC ultimatum GREG GROWDEN IN DURBAN
Last updated 19:08 09/08/2011
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has warned his players their World Cup squad hopes will hinge on whether they pick up their act against the Springboks this weekend after the All Blacks exposed the team's tactical shortcomings.
The Wallabies contingent arrived bleary-eyed in Durban late on Sunday following a marathon 26-hour trip from Auckland, which included the added pain of players and team management losing luggage.
Deans knows that over the next week he will have no respite, because apart from having to revive his troops after the despair of losing the Bledisloe Cup to the All Blacks and preparing the team to play the Springboks at Kings Park on Saturday night, he also has to finalise a 30-man World Cup squad.
The squad will be announced in Sydney on Thursday week, less than 24 hours after the team returns from South Africa. Arriving in Durban, Deans said how numerous players fared against the Springboks would be critical in determining the make-up of the World Cup squad.
Asked if players could force their way in or fall out of the squad this weekend, Deans said: ''Without a doubt. We know them all pretty well by now. But when it comes down to the last couple of spots, the last impression is quite crucial.''
What is making the selection difficult is that several key players are overcoming injuries, and Deans will probably not know who will be available until just before selecting the squad.
This group includes Wallabies props Benn Robinson and James Slipper, hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, No.8 Wycliff Palu, centre Rob Horne and winger Drew Mitchell. Midfielder Berrick Barnes is also in contention, having recently returned to the club ranks with Sydney University.
Some, such as Polota-Nau, Robinson and Slipper, are certain to make the squad if they prove their fitness, while Deans also appears interested in revitalising his attacking contingent, which failed to make an impact against the All Blacks - their major rivals for the World Cup.
''We had a conference call on the way through Sydney, and talked to half a dozen blokes who are rehabbing. We're maintaining contact with them,'' Deans said.
''The players are using their BlackBerry PlayBooks to record everything they do, and they are sending clips of that across to us. They are no doubt sending the best clips.''
The squad won't be finalised until just before the announcement on August 18. ''We land in Sydney at 2pm on Wednesday week, and will then catch up with everyone at 4pm at our team hotel in Coogee. We'll see them physically and give them a final assessment. We will have known what they have been doing, but there's nothing quite like seeing it for yourself,'' he said.Deans has not decided on the final backs-forwards split - although it is expected to be either 17 forwards and 13 backs or a 16-14 mix. ''We've been working on this for a long time,'' he said. ''And it's fair to say that the template has moved over time. It hasn't been resolved, and there are still a lot of conversations going on, because some of the permutations around the final make-up are critical. And you have to draw the line somewhere about your ability to cover specialist positions, for example. Halfback is one, and there are others.
''We also have to see how we get through the Springbok Test, because that could impact on it as well.''
The Wallabies selectors are considering taking just two halfbacks to New Zealand, which would mean Nick Phipps misses out, while deliberating on how many hookers, props and second-rowers are required.
Good players are bound to miss out, especially up front.
- Sydney Morning Herald
Haha
