Lowlights
The two losses to Scotland
Losing to the Scots 9-8 at Murrayfield in 2009 was one thing, losing to them 9-6 last year on Australian soil - Newcastle - quite another. Poor old Matt Giteau missed what would have been a match-winning conversion after the hooter four years ago. It was the first time Scotland had claimed Australia's scalp since 1982 and the first time they had managed to beat a Tri Nations side in seven years. It ended Australia's 16-match winning streak over the Scots. In Newcastle last year, more late dramatics. Greig Laidlaw kicked the match-winning penalty after the hooter to hand Scotland their first away win over any of the southern hemisphere's big three for almost 30 years.
The defeat to 32-23 Samoa in Sydney.
Picture the scene in 2011. Wallabies greats John Eales, Rod McCall, Ewen McKenzie, Jeff Miller and David Campese were presented to the ANZ Stadium crowd before kick-off in memory of their deeds in winning the World Cup 20 years earlier. What followed was less a celebration of Australian rugby, more a demolition job by Samoa. Deans was later criticised for fielding a "B'' team, with Campese the most strident. "The Wallabies deserved what they got,'' Campo would later say. "You just can't give guys test caps for the sake of giving them test match experience. It's wrong. I really could not understand what was going on out there. Don't those involved with the Wallabies understand that this is a World Cup year, and you don't fool around with your Test team?''
A "toxic'' environment.
Quade Cooper's comments last year about the "toxic'' environment within the Wallabies highlighted the divisions in the camp. Cooper first tweeted it and then added in a television interview: "There's a lot of people who are afraid to say what they feel so they just go along with it and nothing is going to change. That's why I feel so strongly as a player. I don't want to be involved in the toxic environment, and that's how it is at the moment.'' Deans' failure to keep Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor in check was symptomatic of the discipline issues in his team.