Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is confident he will have Rocky Elsom back in business well before the Rugby World Cup, despite Australia's Test captain not playing since November.

Elsom has been battling a chronic hamstring injury, which has sidelined the big flanker since the Wallabies' spring tour thrashing of France five months ago in Paris.

"You could say it is a concern but you could also say he's addressing a challenge that he's had and he's making progress, so that's good as well," Deans said on Saturday.

"He hasn't played any rugby to date, but he will play rugby and there's some who are playing rugby now who won't.

"There's players who have been taken off the radar, off the back of injuries, like Drew (Mitchell), guys like (Rod) Davies and (Peter) Hynes.

"It's just the nature of the industry. It's a revolving door. We just have to make the most of that reality."

Having already introduced some 28 players to the international arena during his three-year tenure, Deans said it was unlikely any more newcomers would break into Australia's 30-man World Cup squad.

"But that doesn't mean to say that there will be none," he said.

"It's fair to say it is a living document. It is dynamic and part of that is injuries and form, and players do challenge us from week to week - they challenge our thinking.

"We're involving the franchise coaches in that, so they're getting the opportunity to challenge our thinking as well.

"The one thing you can be sure of is that when it's all said and done and we do commit to a group, it won't have been done lightly.

"How many players who haven't been involved previously, it's hard to know."

A priority of Deans and his co-selectors is assembling the right mix of squad to cope with the vagaries of a tournament, as opposed to a standard tour or Tri Nations competition.

"It is distinct from a campaign where you can bring players in and out," he said.

"We are restricted by the tournament regulations (of not being able to replace injured players), so that is taking a lot of thought so we don't end up compromised off the back of chance or bad luck."

Deans on Saturday also welcomed the return in 2012 of a three-Test Bledisloe Cup series, after three years of playing four matches annually against New Zealand.

He said playing three Tests would improve Australia's chances of finally regaining the coveted trans-Tasman trophy for the first time since 2002.

"I don't think it will ever be easy," Deans said.

"But you've only got to do the maths and obviously when there's four events, you've got to win three - and that's tough.

"What is satisfying about it now is that every year you will get an outcome, a clearer outcome, as opposed to one side retaining the cup with a squared series."

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