ROBBIE Deans hasn't just taught the Wallabies new tricks, he's inspired in them a savage will and enterprise that could take Australia back to the top of world rugby.
Deans continued his run of success last night with a stunning 34-19 victory over the team that he aspired to lead only last year.
Beating the Graham Henry-coached All Blacks will give Deans enormous personal satisfaction, but far more importantly the defence-inspired win confirmed his new-look Wallabies have the makings of something truly special.
Australia, led by stand-in captain George Smith, didn't just bring All Blacks runners down at ANZ Stadium, it slammed into them as if trying to stop lunatics breaking down its door.
The audible thump of gold shoulder into black belly brought collective gasps from the 78,944 crowd.
And the defensive attitude never looked more impressive than when shown by relative lightweights Matt Giteau and Berrick Barnes.
Aptly the last line of this defence was probably the toughest.
When All Blacks flier Joe Rokocoko cut through for a rare piece of New Zealand first-half attack, fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper brought him down with a courageous hit.
The ACT Brumbies back was visibly dazed, but he got to his feet to produce another key tackle on Rodney So'oialo to snuff out the next play.
Afterwards Deans praised the tenacity of his team, which had only 37 per cent of possession and had to make twice the number of tackles as New Zealand.
''It was a fast game and they were stretched. The All Blacks had a lot of possession and we were forced to defend for long periods and at times it was tenuous. But they hung in there and forced a lot of turnover through the intensity of their tackles,'' Deans said.
Henry, for whom the defeat will intensify the pressure on him, was sparing in his public praise of Australia. But privately he must have been worried by what he saw last night.
It was certainly a different looking Wallabies to the Eddie Jones days, but the way it paralysed the All Blacks looked very familiar to the World Cup semi-final at the same ground in 2003. The mighty New Zealanders, when bashed in tackles and out-hustled at the breakdown, looked vulnerable in the extreme.
From an Australian perspective it was a mighty shame that a lapse in concentration and alignment allowed All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore to reduce the lead to just five points in the 39th minute.
After the All Blacks ran in another try just after the break to turn deficit into narrow lead, Australia could and in the past few years probably would have lost heart and faded away.
Instead, sparked by a Lote Tuqiri foray down the left, it attacked hard. Ashley-Cooper almost made it through with a charging run, but it was left to flanker Rocky Elsom to finally score.
When Matt Giteau popped over a drop goal, the All Blacks were done.