David Long | February 22, 2009

ROBBIE DEANS guided the Wallabies to wins against the All Blacks, Springboks, France and England last year. But in a statement that will have his 2011 World Cup rivals looking over their shoulders with trepidation, "Dinkum" Deans is far from satisfied.

So much so that he said last night, after nine months in the job, that he's only just begun rebuilding the Wallabies.

"I don't feel like I've set down a great foundation, to be honest," Deans said. "All we've done is start and we really hope to push on now. I really enjoyed the first stretch and I felt we did achieve some things - not everything that we'd like to, but hopefully I've kindled a bit of desire to push on from here."

Deans took over a Wallabies side that, like the All Blacks, was bundled out of the 2007 World Cup in the quarter-finals. Solitary Tri Nations wins against the All Blacks and Springboks were followed with impressive end-of-season-tour victories in Paris and London.

Utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper recently said the European wins provided great insight into how the Wallabies could move to the next level, and that the players would take what they learnt on the tour back to their Super 14 teams.

Deans, though, acknowledges there is still daylight between where the Wallabies are and where they need to be to win the 2011 World Cup. And he sees the Springboks, not the All Blacks, as the benchmark team, a statement that carries on from his suggestion earlier this month that the most dangerous teams in the Super 14 hailed from the republic.

"My comment was that the best performances in 2008 came from the Springboks. If you're honest about it there's not too many that could argue with that.

"Their performances at Ellis Park [winning 53-8 against Australia] and at Twickenham [beating England 42-6] were remarkable.

"While the All Blacks walked away with the silverware, those two performances in isolation were probably the best performances of 2008 and what that shows is their capabilities."

Deans knows that if he is going to take the Wallabies to the next level, he'll need his inspirational skipper, Brumbies star Stirling Mortlock, to lead the way.

"You watch Stirling play and you can see what sets him apart," said Deans. "His huge commitment to what he does and lack of regard for his own well being, that's where the aura comes from, and when you're on the other side you feel that, you feel that energy before you encounter it.

"When you've observed or played against him you know what's coming, but as he's getting older he's getting wiser as well, not only in the way he prepares but the way he plays.

"He's adding a few skills to his repertoire, so he won't necessarily take his preferred option, which is running over the top."