Friday, 25 July 2008 - NZPA
The Wallabies have snared the rugby coach who knows Dan Carter best, but still admit they have given up trying to spot a chink in the star All Black's armour.
Carter, who plays his 50th test in tomorrow's Bledisloe Cup opener here at ANZ Stadium, looms as the most watched figure in black.
More so with the injury-enforced absence of inspirational captain Richie McCaw, Carter's cool head and ability will be looked at to get the All Blacks home in what promises to be another knife-edge Bledisloe encounter.
His opposite number Matt Giteau, who has made the gold No 10 jersey his own this year, said Carter was the "world's best" who every first five-eighth marked themselves against.
"He's a big part of it. If you can get to any flyhalf and disrupt him, that makes a big difference to how the team operates," Giteau said.
"His composure, he seems very composed when he's out there playing. He's got all the skills, he's got a great kicking game and can pass really well.
"If he needs to run he's got good feet and a good fend, and he's quite fast. There's no real weaknesses, that's what puts him above everyone else - he's a strong defender as well, he's got it all.
"But you look at the All Blacks, they've got great players from one to 22. You don't focus on one player, it's that team focus and being able to shut them down across the park."
Rather than target Carter directly, as South Africa have consistently tried to do with varying success in recent years, the Wallabies would look for the more subtle approach.
Deans, who watched Carter progress from the Crusaders to the world's best No 10, said placing a target on the pivot's head was the wrong way to go.
"You shut him down by stifling those around him, hopefully," Deans said.
"He's just a remarkable rugby player and the one thing you can't do is overload him and think you'll get away with it because he has such a great awareness of what's going on around him.
"It's a team thing, it's not a matter of designating an individual to him. It would be great if one man can take care of him, that'd leave 14 on 14 outside of him."
The pressure will go on the All Blacks forwards to deliver quality ball in a bruising battle up front, and halfback Andy Ellis to provide swift service, having seen off a challenge from Jimmy Cowan for the No 9 jersey.
Giteau, meanwhile, had his own tips from new coach Deans, who earmarked him as his first-five, after former coach John Connolly shuffled him from halfback to second five-eighth.
"He's given me more of an awareness, what's around me, looking up a lot more, looking for mismatches. It's something I do, I just needed to look at it more regularly."
With Giteau pulling the strings, the Wallabies stretched their record to four wins from four tests under Deans with the 16-9 win over the Springboks in Perth last Saturday.
A strong defensive performance in keeping South Africa tryless was an early indication of the team spirit engendered under Deans' guidance, Giteau said.
"It's huge. Without belief you don't buy into anything. If you don't have confidence in a certain player you won't run it properly, if you don't have confidence in defence you might not make that tackle.
"Belief is something you can't get overnight, but once you've got it, it's a huge factor."
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