“We could have won” – Deans

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is disappointed in the 18-18 draw with the All Blacks in the third Bledisloe test on Saturday in Brisbane.

While the Australian media praised the performance, Deans believes the Wallaby squad could have won the match.

“I suspect the team will be pretty frustrated because it’s a game that we could have won,” Deans said.

“So we’re not happy with the outcome and I’m sure the All Blacks aren’t happy either.

Deans was particularly impressed with the physicality that his team showed, as the Wallaby pack gave the All Blacks a hard time throughout the grueling match.

“We’ve done a lot of work around the contact zone and we got a lot of pay from that tonight,” he said.

“The boys have been working hard and they saw the rewards from that work tonight.

While the Wallabies weren’t able to put away any tries, Deans is pleased with the team’s defence to hold-out the All Black attack and keep them at bay with the boot.

“You’ve seen how hard it is to score tries in this competition, for every team, which is why having a guy like Mike Harris is good,” Deans said.

“I think the way he’s adapted to fullback is impressive, he hasn’t played a lot there and he’s done very well.

“He was up against a side that is good at isolating full backs and he did very well. To keep that All Blacks side try-less is impressive and the guys did a great job to come together and achieve that.

“I think now the guys should re-charge their batteries after some tough Tests. We’ve got four more Tests coming up, they’ll contribute to the world rankings and seeding for the next Rugby World Cup, which is important.”