Wallaby coach Robbie Deans has bemoaned the fact that most of Australia's contracted international players are in a comfort zone and are never challenged by eager youngsters coming through a domestic competition.

Deans, speaking at a coaching clinic in Darwin, ahead of the six-match year-end tour, said Australia desperately needs a domestic competition above club level.

The Wallaby mentor, Deans, told the media that Rugby Union - one of four football codes in Australia who competes for talent - must adopt cricket's tried and true Sheffield Shield competition format.

Deans said the lack of a strong domestic competition was hurting the Wallabies' international results.

He was making reference to a season in which Australia lost five of their six Tri-Nations games, their only win being against an off-key Springbok team in Brisbane.

"There's no doubt it's a big contributing factor, with the biggest example of what can be done being cricket and the Sheffield Shield," Deans told The Courier Mail.

"It's probably the best domestic competition in the world and they pump out the best players in the world as a result.

"So we need a format of some sort, even if it's an abbreviated format of post-club rugby.

"That will give club players something to aspire to beyond their competitions and a chance to meet and compete with the country's contracted players."

Deans' native New Zealand boasts three divisions of domestic competitions, from which contracted international players are drawn.

"To do something similar here you would need an interstate competition of some sort, even if it was club-based," Deans said.

"So it wouldn't matter where you live in Australia, you would have an opportunity to aspire to a higher level.

"And it would make the contracted players accountable, when now contracts are a bit of a given - blokes know they are contracted for next year before they've even played this year."

Deans and the Wallabies embark on a grand slam tour of the United Kingdom in November when they play England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

On the way, they will play New Zealand in a Bledisloe Cup match in Tokyo on October 31.

Australia will have Rocky Elsom (captain) and Berrick Barnes (his deputy) as their leaders, part of Deans' plans to change the leadership group.

"There's been a significant evolution of players, in fact two thirds of the group are effectively in year one of Test rugby," he said.