Deans: Braced for emotional day

It will be a great occasion. I'll feel emotion, there's no doubt.

Robbie Deans
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Australia head coach Robbie Deans insists his side are relishing Saturday's crunch Bledisloe Cup clash with the All Blacks at Sydney.

Deans pits his wits against his homeland for the first time at Olympic Park - the Wallabies looking to make it five wins out of five under their Kiwi coach.

If the Wallabies were to register back-to-back wins over the All Blacks in Sydney and Auckland over the next nine days, they would go to the top of the IRB rankings for the first time in the system's five-year history.

Deans, who coached New Zealand provincial team Canterbury Crusaders to five of their record seven Super rugby titles, will be seeking to undo the man who got the job he had initially wanted, All Blacks coach Graham Henry.

After wins over Ireland, France (twice) and world champions South Africa this year, the Wallabies boss claims his players fear nobody.

Challenge

"I don't think they're daunted," Deans said.

"They're up against one of the best, if not the best, rugby sides in the world. They're aware of that, but that also excites them and that's a challenge that they're looking forward to.

"They're getting a great opportunity on the weekend to stake a claim to that sort of respect."

The Wallabies head into the clash encouraged that they have defeated the All Blacks five times in eight matches at Sydney's Olympic stadium, including their shock 22-10 semi-final win at the 2003 World Cup.

Deans said he hopes he will cope with the churning emotions when he hears the haka and the New Zealand national anthem for the first time from an opposing viewpoint.

Influential

"It will be a great occasion. I'll feel emotion, there's no doubt," he said.

"Hopefully, the occasion will be such that there is electricity in the air and that's fantastic - I'm looking forward to that."

Deans also believes the battle of fly-halves, Australia's Matt Giteau and New Zealand's Dan Carter, will be hugely influential to the outcome.

"They're not magicians, they're close to it but they've got to work within the parameters of the game and the opportunities that their team-mates present them with," he said.

"They're both so able that they will have the ability and the wherewithal and the awareness to take what's on offer."