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Greg Growden | November 10, 2009
DUBLIN: While Will Genia has continued to get rave reviews in the British media, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans warned his Test halfback the battle had only just begun, and that he must adapt and diversify his skill set if he wanted to become a top-class halfback.
Genia could be excused for having a swollen head after his exceptional man-of-the-match performance against England at Twickenham, after which an effusive British press compared him with former Wallabies captains and No.9s Nick Farr-Jones and George Gregan.
But, on arrival in Dublin for Sunday's Test against Ireland at Croke Park, Deans was determined to bring some reality back to the situation, warning his young player not to believe everything he read and not to get too far ahead of himself.
While delighted with Genia's performance, Deans knows the halfback has made it harder for himself to again excel. It is up to the 21-year-old to prove he has more tricks to his repertoire, because opposition teams are now aware of his skills.
''One way or another Will will be earthed,'' Deans said. ''That's inevitable in this game. If he doesn't stay earthed in the short run, then he'll be earthed sooner than he likes, because that's the nature of rugby, and that's what is so good about the game.
''From a team perspective, a week is a long time. It is easy in the first instance. But the key to really establishing himself is that he's got to keep developing. He's got to keep improving. Most importantly for Will is that he has to master the team skills. I'm not suggesting he won't. What I am suggesting is that his circumstance will never be the same, because as awareness grows of his capabilities, what he is confronting will change. It will be a moving target.''
Deans said Genia was also bound to be an Irish target this weekend, adding: ''Sure Will hasn't played Ireland before, but with the amount of analysis going on, they know how he plays. But the good thing about that is that we know they are aware he can threaten. We also know Will and Quade [Cooper] will help Matt [Giteau], because Matt has been carrying a lot by himself for a long time.''
Deans said it was vital Genia did not relax or convince himself that what worked against England would always work. He also should gain inspiration from how former All Blacks Jonah Lomu and Tana Umaga handled rugby greatness.
''Playing Test match rugby is not like a 100-metre race,'' Deans said. ''It's not just stepping up to the start line and running the same speed. He will encounter so many variables in the game that he can't just deal with that by himself. It will now be a team skill set. It's a bit like Jonah. The first time he ran over a couple of blokes, great. But from then on, his life became more difficult. He never really got to those heights again because he didn't handle the other challenges. Tana Umaga is a great example. A rare talent, but as others became aware of it, he had to develop his skill set, and he did to become an outstanding player.''
While relieved that Genia enabled the Wallabies to rediscover the delights of victory, Deans said that another viewing of the England Test confirmed that the team had at last made some dramatic progress.
''There was among the players a sense of satisfaction of a job well done, because there was a lot of good elements to the game, including things we have been striving for, such as persistence, discipline, trust and the structure of our game,'' he said. ''Some of it started to kick in and they could feel that. I guess until you do it, it just doesn't galvanise.
''We had the sense of being close previously, but have found many ways of stymying ourselves. On the weekend for the first time we saw a little more belief, a little more trust, a little more clarity. It wasn't perfect, but it was very encouraging.''
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...615001001.html
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