Australian Rugby
Jones has World Cup faith
Scrum.com
July 3, 2010
Australia coach Robbie Deans talks to the media, Australia team announcement, Sofitel, Brisbane, Australia, June 22, 2010
Robbie Deans has received the backing of Eddie Jones © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Robbie Deans | Eddie Jones
Tournaments/Tours: Tri Nations
Teams: Australia

Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has complete faith in Robbie Deans as the Rugby World Cup looms.

Jones, who led Australia to the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, has backed Deans to take the Wallabies forward despite recent troubles against England and an uninspiring performance against Ireland, in which little momentum was gathered despite a 22-15 win. The Tri-Nations lands in Australia on July 24, when the Springboks are the opponents in Brisbane.

''Robbie Deans is a very good coach,'' Jones told The Sydney Morning Herald. ''He's experiencing the problems any national coach does when he's in a country with a small playing population. He doesn't have the depth and quality of players to be consistently good.

''Over the last three years, we've seen these little crests of very good performances but troughs of not so good ones. Changing the coach will not improve the side. Australia is getting together a good bunch of players and if we can keep them together, we'll have a very good team for the next World Cup. I've said it before, I believe Australia can win the next World Cup.''

Jones also had words of support for under-fire midfielder Matt Giteau, whose place in the side has been questioned after a series of poor place-kicking displays.

''I have no doubt Giteau is one of the few Australian players who would demand deliberation at the selection table for a World XV,'' Jones said. ''He has to be in the team. I don't think he's been playing that well over the last year-and-a-half but Australia needs him to play well because he's a potential Test match-winner.''

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