On Monday, Australia leave for their most difficult end-of-season tour in years, with Wallabies coach Robbie Deans aiming to improve the team's fitness and skill levels and unearth some new international stars. Winning will also be crucial. Greg Growden reports.

The most preposterous rugby whinge of the year went to the All Blacks, who claimed after winning the Bledisloe Cup in Brisbane last month, that the Wallabies, via a local television channel, had spied on one of their training sessions.

All that moaning did was emphasise the height of paranoia in the All Blacks camp, their sensitivity towards anything involving Robbie Deans, who not that long ago was one of their own, while having the negative effect of diverting attention away from their triumph. Most importantly, their claim was wrong, as the Wallabies under Deans couldn't care less what their opponents do on the training paddock.

While the All Blacks revel in training behind closed doors, the Wallabies prefer the open approach. There is nothing stopping anyone from attending a Deans training session, as he believes that if an opposition wants to watch you prepare, then you already have won the first battle as they are clearly distracted and nervous. In Deans's eyes, it is what you do rather than what someone else does that is imperative.

As well the training sessions emphasise that the Wallabies are embraced in a one-in all-in approach. There's no point going to an Australian training session to work out what exactly the Test line-up will be for that weekend because the coach endlessly changes combinations all over the field.

As part of his philosophy, that the number on your back is not important. Deans has players running in numerous positions so that they become accustomed to various roles. His aim is to give everyone a chance on the tour. He is not promising anything to the youngsters, but if he can, he definitely will give them a run in the Tests, because Deans likes to push the barriers and give newcomers a chance. That's shown by Deans selecting 12 new players to the Wallabies squad this season.

That's why the 18-year-old Wallabies novice James O'Connor has been running around at training on the wing and fullback, even though he is best known as a midfielder. Newcomer Quade Cooper has spent a lot of time at five-eighth with the first-choice Test team around him. Berrick Barnes, now entrenched at No 12, has been sighted at No.10, flicking around with Matt Giteau. Attacking players are going here, there and everywhere.

That will continue on the Wallabies tour, as Deans fiddles around with the jigsaw pieces, gradually moulding the team into a shape that he likes.

That's why he has focused so much in his opening year to improving the fitness and skills of the Australian players.

Some of his training drills may appear elementary, but their purpose is clear. For too long, the Wallabies have been shackled by substandard elementary skills, and so they must go back to learning the basics. That's gradually working. Whether the team's conditioning has picked up will be discovered on this tour. The team's fitness level remains a problem, especially as the Wallabies constantly dropped off in the second half of this year's Tests, even having problems defending a lead.

That was shown most glaringly in the number of tries scored against them. Once possessing the most rigid of defensive alignments, the Wallabies leaked tries this year. They scored 24, but conceded 25. And of those 25 tries, 15 were scored against them in the second half. Ten of those were in the final quarter of the game.

Maybe that's why when Deans got his hands on the squad on Thursday, he had them running around for more than two hours in miserable conditions at Brookvale Oval. Among the sodden spectators was former Wallabies coach Dave Brockhoff, who loved what he saw. "How good is this?" Brockhoff exclaimed, especially when the Wallabies forwards spent an inordinate amount of time bashing into each other.

During the four training camps held in Sydney over the past month, the forward work has been intense - not surprising considering that it could be a weak link during the tour. With Dan Vickerman unavailable, Rocky Elsom elsewhere and James Horwill injured, the Wallabies pack has lost a lot of its mongrel.

Depth in some positions is flaky, especially in the second row, and there remains uncertainty who will hold down positions in the back row. And as the Wallabies pack continues to struggle to gain respect from its opponents, especially in the northern hemisphere, it has become the time for several back-ups to really step up.

That's why it wouldn't be surprising if the assertive Richard Brown and Dean Mumm use this tour to become more established Wallabies members, and David Pocock starts to make a name for himself. Under Deans, for those who are young and willing, the opportunity is definitely there.

THE WALLABIES TOUR

November 1 v New Zealand (Hong Kong)

Nov 8 v Italy (Padova)

Nov 15 v England (London, Twickenham)

Nov 22 v France (Paris)

Nov 29 v Wales (Cardiff)

Dec 3 v Barbarians (London, Wembley).

THE SQUAD

Forwards: Ben Alexander,

Al Baxter, Richard Brown, Mark Chisholm, Matt Dunning, Adam Freier, Sekope Kepu, Peter Kimlin, Hugh McMeniman, Stephen Moore, Dean Mumm, Wycliff Palu, David Pocock, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson, Nathan Sharpe, George Smith, Phil Waugh.

Backs: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Berrick Barnes, Luke Burgess, Quade Cooper, Sam Cordingley, Ryan Cross, Matt Giteau, Peter Hynes, Digby Ioane, Drew Mitchell, Stirling Mortlock (capt), James O'Connor, Brett Sheehan, Timana Tahu, Lote Tuqiri, Lachie Turner.