from http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_6405248,00.html
Deans queries 'cynical' All Black tactics
Australia coach Robbie Deans has added further spice to next month's Bledisloe Cup clash in Hong Kong by claiming New Zealand's current approach will eventually come back to bite them.
While there is no doubt the All Blacks were deserving winners of the recently completed Tri-Nations tournament, Australia and South Africa became increasingly frustrated with New Zealand's apparent willingness to concede penalties in their own half so as to stop the opposition from scoring tries.
Despite finishing on the wrong end of the penalty count in all six matches, New Zealand had one player yellow carded in the entire tournament while the Wallabies and Springboks each had four players sin-binned.
But while Deans is clearly losing patience with the All Blacks' approach, he provocatively declared karma would eventually catch up with the world's number one ranked team.
"They make good decisions at critical moments and they get away with things as well through their cunning," Deans said of Graham Henry's men.
"But I personally believe that some of their cynicism won't serve them well in the long run.
"They're an experienced bunch, they've had great continuity (a lack of injuries) which we haven't had but I think that will serve us well and I don't think that will serve them well, because they have some points of vulnerability."
Despite having now lost a record 10 straight matches at the hands of the All Blacks, Deans is confident his young side are slowly closing the gap.
"It's very evident that the All Blacks remain the benchmark," he said.
"I guess from a coaching perspective you chase progression, we're getting progression, there's areas of frustration but we believe we're making headway.
"There's a step to take but I think we showed in Sydney, despite a pretty horrific itinerary, that it's actually achievable.
"And in an ironic way it may actually serve us well having come up short. If we'd got up and this young group had thought they were somewhere where they're not then that wouldn't have served us well."
The Wallabies face the All Blacks on October 30 before heading to the northern hemisphere for Tests against Wales, England, Italy and France.
And with only five Tests against Samoa, New Zealand (twice) and South Africa (twice) scheduled in between the Super 15 season and the start of the World Cup next September, Deans says its imperative the five Australian franchises perform in 2011.
"At the end of this year the players will go back into Super 15 and personally I think Super 15 will serve us well because we'll come into the tournament well conditioned to the game," he said.
"Critically we need them to succeed at franchise level, and I think we'll see that."