"IN A journey of a thousand miles, it is necessary to make the first step."
The Melbourne Test against Ireland, won 18-12 in a nailbiting finish, is relevant to the long journey the Wallabies are taking towards the 2011 World Cup. When the new Wallabies coach was asked by the Irish media if he would admit that Ireland deserved to win, his reply was blunt: "History does not record the detail. History records the score."
This was reminiscent of another close-run Test win with a newish team with which Deans was involved. Very early in his career as assistant coach to the All Blacks with John Mitchell, his side narrowly defeated the Wallabies in the rain and cold at Christchurch. Rather like the Wallabies on Saturday night, the All Blacks had to resort to lung-busting, last-resort defence to hold off wave after wave of attacks.
Afterwards, a man approached Fred Allen, unbeaten as coach of the All Blacks in the 1960s, and said rather ingratiatingly: "An ugly win, Fred."
Allen's reply was as direct as Deans's response to the Irish journalist: "A win is a win, son."
All great coaches know, in the words of Green Bay Packers mastercoach Vince Lombardi, "winning is a habit". Great coaches build success on wins that defy the statistics and the events of a match. When teams win the matches they shouldn't, they win the matches they are expected to win. In other words, the teams become win-win sides.
In previous years the Wallabies might not have won on Saturday night. The Wallabies had less than 40 per cent of possession and field position. They were outscored, admittedly only 5-3, in the second half. They were the beneficiaries of some stupid decisions by Ireland. What brain explosion forced the experienced Peter Stringer to run a full-arm penalty in front of the Wallabies posts right on half-time, for instance? There were two dreadful lineout throws on the Wallabies five-metres mark. And twice the Wallabies scrambled out of conceding certain tries.
Two coaching decisions, one on strategy and the other on tactics, saved the Wallabies. First, the strategic approach for the Wallabies to play "what is in front of them", rather than robotic patterns, enabled them to launch two long-range ensemble attacks that resulted in unexpected tries. Second, the tactic of bringing on Phil Waugh to tackle anything that moved or did not move at the end of the Test proved to be a master stroke. Waugh became a bowling ball and knocked over Irish runners all over the field. The result was that despite the 18 or so phases Ireland played in the last minutes, they never really looked like breaking through.
Although defence saved the Test, it was the early attack that won it. It was typical of Deans to praise Berrick Barnes rather than criticise him for the kick/pass Brian O'Driscoll intercepted and almost turned into an Ireland try.
The two worrying factors Deans takes out of the win are: first, his side's terrible field position and possession ratio; and, second, being outscored in the second half.
In most matches, for example the Crusaders-Waratahs Super 14 final, these statistics would ensure a loss. But, at least, with the victory a first step in the long journey to turn the Waratahs/Wallabies into the Crusaders/Wallabies has been successfully taken.
