Career
His nickname was Beano. He made his Scotland debut (at the age of 22) against France in 1978 when Scotland lost, 16 - 19. He was active on the national team between 1978, and 1987, with his high point being in Scotland"s 1984 Grand Slam.
Richard Bath writes of him that he was
"The prototype for the faster hooker, acting as an extra flanker that has since emerged, Deans has few equals.
Superb in the loose and a wonderfully quick striker of the ball in the scrum, the rugged Deans was also a pinpoint line-out thrower."
Allan Massie describes him as a hooker with back-row skills:
"He is the most remarkable loose forward of any hooker I have seen. There can have been few, if any, faster.
Indeed, his speed is such that from the broken play and the line-out he gives Scotland in effect a fourth back-row forward. This means that, like Carmichael, he is ideal for the modern game, capable of fulfilling his specialist role, but also of taking a full part in fifteen-man Rugby.
He also says that Deans was, "with the possible exception of Peter Wheeler, the most accurate thrower-in of recent years."
Deans was selected for the 1983 British Lions tour to New Zealand, but surprisingly was kept on the bench for its entireity.
New Zealand thrashed the British Lions on this tour. He obtained 52 caps for his country. He is said to have been most effective when playing in combination with David Leslie.
