Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says the rivalry between Quade Cooper and
Richie McCaw is healthy but has sounded a couple of cautionary notes in
the aftermath of Australia’s drought breaking Tri Nations rugby triumph.
The
Wallabies assembled in Sydney on Monday in preparation for their last
full week of training on home soil before the World Cup starts.
Deans
was keen to move on quickly from Australia’s first Tri Nations title in
ten years and also stressed the need for his players not to compromise
the team’s performance with individual acts of indiscipline.
Five-eighth
Cooper could potentially have missed World Cup games had he been found
guilty of a foul play charge after kneeing All Blacks captain McCaw in
the head in a ruck in Saturday’s game in Brisbane.
“I think in
any instance, where you end up in a judicial process, means you are
getting close to compromising your team and that’s not good,” Deans told
reporters in Sydney.
Deans, however, wasn’t fussed by the
growing rivalry between Cooper and champion openside flanker McCaw that
seemed to start back in Hong Kong last year.
“I don’t see it as a big deal. The rivalry is total and that’s healthy,” Deans said.
“That’s
what we want, that competitiveness, but we also don’t want any acts by
individuals that can end up compromising the team.
“In terms of the healthy competitive nature of Quade, it’s not a problem.”
Deans reported no major injury issues arising out of Saturday’s game.
He
was typically cagy and non-committal when asked if winger James
O’Connor would come straight back into the side after missing Saturday’s
clash due to a suspension for missing the World Cup squad announcement.
However, he suggested he would not tinker too much with his team during the World Cup itself.
“We’re playing every game to win. We’ll be putting out our best combination to do that,” Deans said.
He stressed Australia’s Tri Nations success was irrelevant as far as their World Cup prospects were concerned.
“If
anything, it has the potential to impact in a negative way to what we
do next, if we think we can take any comfort out of it,” Deans said.
Celebrating the end of Australia’s Tri Nations title drought was low key according to utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper.
“The
celebrations were very quiet. We just had families and friends and
partners back to the hotel after the game and a few quiet drinks and I
was in bed pretty early. I was pretty knackered after the game,”
Ashley-Cooper told reporters.
Australian Rugby Union boss John
O’Neiil said being rated second favourite for the World Cup behind New
Zealand was not a bad position to be in.
“It’s going to be a very
physical tournament. I really trust the adjudication is up to scratch,
that referees don’t become a feature of the tournament, they become an
asset to the tournament,” O’Neill told reporters.
“We’re in with a real shot, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
