Let's get square, Deans tells Wallabies

(AAP) - Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has urged his troops to rise to the challenge and get square with the All Blacks in Saturday's landmark Bledisloe Cup clash in Hong Kong.

As the All Blacks bemoaned a "rushed" preparation for the historic encounter, Deans
called on the depleted Wallabies to overcome the odds and, if not quite wrestle the
trans-Tasman trophy from their arch rivals, at least salvage a 2-2 series draw.
Already without Test regulars Lote Tuqiri, Wycliff Palu, Rocky Elsom, Dan Vickerman
and James Horwill, the Wallabies suffered yet another setback when reserve hooker
Adam Freier was ruled out with a calf strain.
Deans, though, said the Wallabies could ill-afford to dwell on their injury crisis
if they wanted to kick off their testing six-match spring tour with a
confidence-boosting win over the world's top-ranked team.
"That's the way it is. It's just part of the game. It's frustrating for the players;
injuries are the bane of the game and you never like to see players pick up
injuries," he said.
"We've got a huge sum who aren't with us. We've got some who are with us.
"But you've just got to keep going and we've done that. We've had a good preparation
for this tour and we're ready to play.
"We're really looking forward to playing again, and certainly the opportunity to
play against the All Blacks because that's as good as it gets."
Neither side has played since New Zealand clinched the Bledisloe Cup, as well as the
Tri Nations trophy, for another year with a 28-24 comeback victory over Australia in
Brisbane six weeks ago.
In that match, the Wallabies blew a 17-7 second-half lead.
"I suspect there may still be for some pain for some of the guys. I hope they bring
some of that forward," Deans said.
"All of those experiences make up who you are, I guess, so you do bring some of that
forward, particularly when you get close but for whatever reason you don't close it
out.
"You do consider what's required to take that next step. And then if you can master
that, then you give yourself a starter's chance."
The sweltering conditions in Hong Kong for the first-ever Bledisloe Cup Test on
foreign soil is sure to be a factor, with Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock
believing the intense humidity would have "ramifications certainly late in the
match".
"I'd imagine utilising our full 22-man squad is going to be very important,"
Mortlock said.
"Just because the humidity is constant, no matter whether the temperature is up
there or down, you're sweat rates are still really high. It just takes it out of you
a bit.
"But we've had camps in Darwin, we've played very early in the year in Brisbane, so
the guys have experienced in pretty tough, hot, humid conditions in the past."
And while the Wallabies are hoping to reap the rewards for a series of brutal
conditioning camps over the past month, the All Blacks have only come together this
week in Hong Kong after taking part in the Air New Zealand Cup.
"Things have been quite rushed because we've been away playing with other teams.
That's put the pressure on us in that regard," All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw said.
McCaw was banking on the excitement of pulling on the All Blacks jersey to be enough
to lift his side, while coach Graham Henry was hoping he hadn't overworked his
charges during their abbreviated build-up.
"It hasn't been easy trying to get the right balance," Henry said. "Training in 30
degrees and trying to make sure you have a reasonably full tank on Saturday is the
challenge."
Mortlock said Freier's replacement, Tatafu Polota-Nau, was "absolutely raring to go".