nzherald.co.nz video producer Steve Orsbourn is in Sydney for the test and will be filing regular updates throughout the buildup and over the weekend
KEY POINTS:
As Robbie Deans chewed over a request to coach the Wallabies, he went looking for the best advice about switching allegiances.
That guidance was not far away. It was only a short ride from Deans' Christchurch base before he motored into John Wright's rural driveway.
The former Black
Caps opener had returned to Canterbury and a job with New Zealand Cricket after a decent stint as coach of the Indian side. If anyone could put an objective hit on Deans' conundrum, it was Wright.
"He just said it was competing against your brother in the backyard - something I have done an awful lot of," Deans recalled. "I could relate to everything John said that day."
So when his application for the All Blacks coaching role was rejected, Deans felt comfortable accepting an invitation to coach the Wallabies in a four-year deal. He could even laugh at the new "Dingo" moniker he was given, a sign that the Ockers had truly accepted his ascension.
"I was in the same boat as Robbie and it fuels your desire," Wright recalled of the pair's meeting. "I applied to be New Zealand coach and then went elsewhere.
"When someone else comes calling, it gives you a good feeling that there is an organisation who wants to pick you as their coach."
Wright said Deans had a tougher choice than he did because Deans had already coached the All Blacks for several years. But the trick in making a decision was to remove most of the emotion from the argument.
As a professional coach, Deans dealt in results. It did not matter which team he led, his interest was in performance and grades. Professional pride demanded he would do well.
"Your ability in coaching is to remove yourself from the emotional baggage and the media hype and work out how we are going to win a game," Wright added.
"It helps you because you know a lot about the New Zealand psyche and that can be helpful, particularly in the mental aspects you are trying to create with your team and working out how [New Zealanders] will react."
Coaching against New Zealand was tough because you knew most of the team, the coaches and support staff and, for some time, did not have the luxury of that same support level behind you.
But one thing did not change. No matter your heritage, your sporting roots, it did not diminish your desire to win, even against your old players and country of birth.
"You are so driven when you are working, and so totally immersed in what you are doing, that the question of nationality disappears," Wright said. "Because your credibility is on the line and you are very aware of that because you know how many New Zealanders will be watching to see your results."
Deans has been immersed in his new world across the ditch for several months now, where he is discovering a new team, a new style and the commercial and sporting realities of rugby's fight against the other codes.
Tomorrow he takes the Wallabies to Homebush in Sydney where, five years ago, they helped to terminate his All Black contract with a semifinal win in the 2003 World Cup.
"Deep down in the back of my mind, I was worried about that game. I don't want to go into any details but it manifested itself as I feared," Deans said. "We came up short. The reality was we had some success with a group that was still emerging as an international team and the core was still there four years on."
While they may not be kindred souls, Deans and his New Zealand coaching rivals, Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith, all share the experience of World Cup defeats.
"It was not pleasant but it is part of becoming who you are," Deans said. "You can't fight it, that is the way it is. It was the most public moment but is more of what makes this game great."
Deans cackled loudly as he conceded he had made plenty of mistakes in his coaching career, some of which were public, others he had got away with. It was all about accumulating experience from those errors and learning from them.
"I have changed enormously and the key is to adapt in time or duck. My motivations are still the same, though, all the reasons why I wanted to be a coach, the fire is still there.
"I love this job, although I don't see it as a job, it is a labour of love. It is tougher these days because of the scrutiny everywhere and it has the potential to be a treadmill because it is so relentless. It is hard to switch off but you have to do that at times to find a balance."
Finding that space has been difficult for Deans since his move across the Tasman. At home, he could take off for an afternoon on his jetboat on the Waimakariri River, he could duck down to watch his children play sport or visit friends with wife Penny.
With the Wallabies he will live life out of a suitcase until their end-of-year tour to Europe is complete.
"It is not an easy period for us as a family but it gives you empathy for what the players go through."
Penny and youngest daughter Sophie will return to live in Sydney next year in a move Deans sees as one of growth for the entire family.
His opening foray with the Wallabies has been a success, four wins in four outings.
In his vernacular, the Wallabies are "trending well" as he comes to grips with the personalities and gets a handle on their skills. "I have got some insight from the inside out now, whereas a while back I was just an observer. I understand a heck of a lot more about the blokes who strap the boots on. I am selecting and judging all the time - but I don't rotate."
Deans was complimentary about the All Blacks' work in their loss to the Boks, a match in which he felt they softened up the South Africans for their win last week in Perth.
"They are a better South African side than the World Cup winners, especially with Jean de Villiers in the side, but the All Blacks should have beaten them twice."
This was not, Deans emphasised, an attempt at a Be Kind to Kiwis Week, he genuinely felt the All Blacks were playing strong rugby. It was left unsaid that he hoped his Wallabies played just a shade stronger in Sydney tomorrow.
