Kearns casts the first stone

A bit of banter ahead of the Bledisloe Cup is inevitable, and former Wallaby hooker Phil Kearns got the first salvo away early on Monday, saying the All Blacks were no longer the invincible force they used to be.

A bit of banter ahead of the Bledisloe Cup is inevitable, and former Wallaby hooker Phil Kearns got the first salvo away early on Monday, saying the All Blacks were no longer the invincible force they used to be.

Each side has a win in the Tri-Nations so far this season, with South Africa and New Zealand each picking up bonus points in defeat as well, leaving the Wallabies bottom of the table – but having played one game less.

Kearns was one of the pundits to heap praise upon Kiwi coach Robbie Deans for what he has done with Australia, and reckons the All Black team will head to Sydney looking more vulnerable than they have done for years.

“There are some weaknesses in the All Black side,” Kearns told Yahoo!Xtra.

“They just seem to have lost a little of that air of invincibility and it is a big challenge for Graham Henry to get that back.

“And I think the All Blacks are certainly stung after that loss, 30 games at home without a loss and now all of a sudden they have to start that all over again.”

Deans will come up against the national side he once played for as well as once coached, and the side many New Zealanders believe he ought now to be coaching again.

Deans has repeatedly said that the clash between he and Henry is not personal, and that there is a lot more about the clash to look forward to than just that, a view echoed by Kearns.

“There always is, regardless of who is coaching,” he said.

“That just adds another little dimension to it. And it probably holds just as much interest for New Zealand just for the North and South Islands, because you have a North Island coach and a South Island coach against each other.

“And now he (Deans) is a West Island coach.

“That will be interesting. But at the end of the day, as good as coaches are, it really comes down to the players.

“He is probably the only Kiwi that we really love here in Australia, just joking. He is doing terrific things for the side.

“You saw on Saturday night that there was a really good performance for the guys. At the breakdown, they competed hard, which is typical of a Crusaders team.

“He is (employing Crusaders qualities) and it is working.

“You can see the way the guys really trust each other in defence, which is really what a lot of defence is about, trusting each others ability and each others calls.

“So they have done a great job.”