Crusaders coach Robbie Deans will be interviewed for the Wallaby coaching job by the Australian Rugby Union on Tuesday.
Former All Black assistant in frame for Wallabies job.
Crusaders coach Robbie Deans will get a second chance at international coaching as he puts his case forward to the Australian Rugby Union on Tuesday.
Deans was interviewed for the New Zealand post before Graham Henry was chosen to continue at the helm.
The New Zealander will now be interviewed for the Wallaby coaching job by the ARU selection panel in Brisbane late on Tuesday.
Despite some misgivings about the prospect of a New Zealander coaching Australia, Deans was contacted by the ARU's high-performance manager Pat Howard last week.
After formally expressing an interest in the Wallabies position, Deans will now get his chance to impress the selection panel in the hope of landing the Aussie job.
Candidates
The Crusaders coach will be the last of six candidates for the Australian job to be interviewed.
The other five candidates, Laurie Fisher (Brumbies), John Muggleton (Wallaby assistant coach), David Nucifora (Blues), Ewen McKenzie (Waratahs), and Alan Jones were all interviewed in November.
The fact that Deans is not an Australian and the ARU's decision to chase Deans after he was overlooked by the All Blacks have drawn considerable criticism from both the Australian and New Zealand rugby fraternities.
Yet it seems almost inevitable that the defiant Deans will win the favour of the ARU panel, which is expected to make a final decision on the new Wallaby coach on Friday.
