AUSTRALIA COACH ROBBIE Deans was a much happier man this weekend after watching his team record an impressive 39-20 win over World Champions South Africa in the opening match of the 2011 Tri-Nations.

The Kiwi had to deal with considerable fallout after his Wallabies were beaten in a shock defeat to Samoa last week, but two tries in two minutes early on against the Springboks meant there was only ever going to one result on the day.

“The boys got the job done well,” he said afterwards. “The set-piece was good, the scrummaging was good and, critically, we got our shoulders down. Not only in defence – also in attack – we got some momentum, which these blokes enjoy.”

Next up for the Aussies is the tough assignment of facing the All Blacks in New Zealand and Deans is hopeful of even more improvements despite the fact that Australia haven’t won at Eden Park for the last 25 years.

“This was a step forward, but it’s going to have to be another one again. The good thing now is we get some time to regather, to recover, attend to a bit of detail and really hone in on the opportunity that we’ve got at Eden Park.”

Watch the highlights from Saturday’s action: