RUGBY INTERNATIONAL NEWS: AUSTRALIA COACH Robbie Deans is confident his side remains on track to make an impact at the 2011 World Cup despite mixed fortunes on their tour of Europe.

The Wallabies fell short of their pre-tour ambition of matching the 1984 Grand Slam-winning side – impressive wins over England and Wales sandwiched by a draw with Ireland and a bewildering one-point loss to Scotland – but Deans claims the positives outweigh the negatives. He pointed to the emergence of young players such as Quade Cooper, Benn Robinson, Ben Alexander, Will Genia and Digby Ioane as a strong sign for the future of Australian rugby.

“I think we will look back in time and recognise the value we got out of it,” Deans said of the tour shortly after touching down in Sydney yesterday. “We didn’t get everything we were seeking from an outcome perspective but there were a lot of plusses in terms of players who have emerged from very little background. We’re obviously not where we’d like to be yet but we’ll be better for this experience, without a doubt.

“It’s a remarkably young group and they’re learning in the toughest arena but they’re learning. We’ve just got to add that consistency which comes with experience.”

Pressed on how he thought Australia were placed if the next World Cup was to start tomorrow, Deans declared: “We’d be a shot, I think we’ve shown that through this year. We have a sense internally of making headway and I think we got an indicator of that on the weekend (in the win over Wales). It is evident that this group has a really exciting future. It would be great to be part of that because I think it is a very exciting group.

“They are great to work with. They have been fantastic on and off the field. They have laid down a great foundation stone for the future.”

Fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper, one of the stars of the tour, added: “We were only three points away from a successful tour.

“That (Wales) game – personally and from a team perspective – was a turning point leading into next year.”