New Zealander Robbie Deans launched a passionate defence of his credentials to coach the Australian rugby team after being interviewed for the job on Tuesday.


Deans has emerged as the favourite to succeed John Connolly as the next Wallaby coach after he missed out on the New Zealand position.


The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has been criticised by some former players and coaches for considering a New Zealander ahead of an Australian but Deans said a coach's nationality was irrelevant.


In this file photo New Zealand team The Crusaders coach Robbie Deans (L) and captain Reuben Thorne watch the trophy presentation after the Super 12 final against the ACT Brumbies at Canberra Stadium in Canberra May 22, 2004. Deans launched a passionate defence of his credentials to coach the Australian rugby team after being interviewed for the job on Tuesday.

"I've got a passion for the game, I love this game. I love a challenge," he told reporters after his two-hour interview in Brisbane.
"I really enjoy the people in the game. I probably have as many connections here as I do at home - I've been in SANZAR rugby for 11 years now."

Deans, 48, has never coached a national side before although he was assistant coach to the All Blacks from 2001-2003 and has enjoyed unprecedented success in the Super 12 and Super 14 competitions, guiding the Canterbury Crusaders to the title in 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2006 and the final in 2003 and 2004.

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Week Ten in the Super 14 was strange in that there were five blowouts in the six matches but somehow that didn't diminish the entertainment value of the incredible rugby being played. I guess what made the round different from earlier ones where the scorelines were similarly disparate was the quality of the effort from both the winners and the
losers. That can only mean one thing - the intensity brought on by the battle for playoff spots is getting ready to explode in some amazing contests over the next month!




The weekend kicked off with the Blues and Cheetahs in Auckland on Friday night. The Cheetahs needed a win to stay in the race and the Blues were trying to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the chasing pack. Even though they thoroughly dominated the match, the one thing the Blues didn't accomplish was a bonus point for scoring four tries - which may come back to haunt them at the end of the campaign when semifinal places are determined.


Next up was the Highlanders and the Chiefs in Queenstown. Both these sides were fighting to maintain legitimate playoff hope and it was the Chiefs who emerged victorious. This was the most fiercely contested match of the round and featured a bunch of thrilling tries.

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