Eddie Jones says coaching the Wallabies isn’t easy, and he felt for Robbie Deans

The Wallabies job is a great honour but a tough one. We play most of our Tests against the world’s top three, so the pressure is immense.

Robbie Deans during Australia's Wallabies captain's run training session at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, in preparation for upcoming Tri Nations decider.

OVER the past six months I have caught up with a relaxed Robbie Deans in Japan, where the coaching pressures are a world away from those which are reflected in his book on six seasons as Wallabies coach.

The Wallabies job is a great honour but a tough one. We play most of our Tests against the All Blacks and South Africa, fixtures in the world’s top three, so the pressure is immense.

Everyone has an opinion. You are rarely left alone.

Go for petrol and you will get an opinion on the team. Go shopping and you get the same.

Yet being in the Wallabies job is quite lonely as there are few people you can trust to discuss issues.

I remember a week before a Test discussing a team with a high-ranking official. The next day I found my team selected verbatim in the newspaper.

Robbie is a really good rugby guy and is enjoying his Japanese stint as head coach of Panasonic Wild Knights. I know the desire to coach internationally still burns for him.

The Ewen McKenzie era has seen the Wallabies embrace a clear philosophy on how they want to play.

The Wallabies kick everything in their own 22 while anywhere else on the pitch they try to move the ball quickly to find space.

This contrasts to the Deans approach which was to kick everything in their own 50 and attack only when in the opposition 50.

Selection still has its issues as the Australian player pool has a lot of players of the same ability and no really standout world class players, apart from Israel Folau or an in-form Will Genia.

McKenzie will be burning right now after a small incidence of disrespect between a staff member and Kurtley Beale was turned into a full-blown issue in public view.

We don’t know who was disrespectful but a small incident will either drive the team closer or further split any existing small fissures.

Tomorrow morning’s Test against Argentina in Mendoza will be the litmus test for the strength of the team.

The Aussie tight five must front at the scrum. The Wallabies must win both physically and by playing smart in attack.

The Wallabies did some really good things last week against the Springboks but lack of game fitness and composure under pressure was exposed in the last 15 minutes.

There were some bad individual mistakes such as poor tracking in defence which handed the Boks inside breaks

Why? I really don’t think the Wallabies train at a sufficiently high intensity.

Watch the last 20 minutes from the All Blacks. Their intensity never drops off.

The Wallabies are moving in the right direction but the burning of Beale will test the resolve of the team strength in the heat of the Argentinians scrum and aerial attack.

Originally published as Eddie Jones says coaching the Wallabies isn’t easy, and he felt for Robbie Deans