Hansen's view carries weight of experience

Steve Hansen with All Blacks' squad - Lynn McConnell pic

Former All Black coach Steve Hansen has always been an outspoken advocate for the game and he thinks the Covid-19 pandemic may well provide a chance for the game's issues to be resolved.

In a wide-ranging two-part interview with walesonline.co.uk Hansen, who was one of the few high-profile people in the game to push for a global season, said the pandemic represented a great chance for all affected parties across the world to come together and do what was right for the game.

"It's been a long time coming because it's been needed for quite some time.

"There has been a lot of self-interest and if we don't do the right thing we could lose the game and that would be a tragedy.

"We have lost our way in rugby a little bit and we haven't been working well enough together.

"Maybe this pandemic has caused a crisis that means we have to. If that's the case, then that's one positive to come out some something that's pretty ordinary," he said.

No one has been at the sharp end of the modern game as long as Hansen. While others have come or gone, moved on to other contracts or given the game away, Hansen spent 20 years at the highest level pouring his energy into five World Cup campaigns, one with Wales and four with New Zealand, coming away with two gold medals and one bronze.

That puts him in a place to offer a rare perspective of life at the top.

No surprise surrounds the fact the 2007 World Cup quarterfinal exit had such an effect on his career.

"I think that was a turning point in New Zealand's World Cup history.

"The New Zealand Rugby Union were strong enough, smart enough, whatever you want to call it, to say we were going to come back in and do it again.

"It was the first time in All Black history a group of coaches had been given the opportunity to take the lessons they had learned from World Cup poor performances and put them into the next one," he said.

Winning in 2011 had been achieved 'by the skin of our teeth under some tough mental issues', the result of not having won the trophy in 24 years.

Apart from losing four first five-eighths they also had captain Richie McCaw with two broken bones in his foot.

"We didn't know they were broken because we didn't ask. We didn't want to know and he didn't want to say.

"What he did in that tournament was phenomenal. Mentally, he would be the toughest bloke I have had anything to do within my coaching career.

"I think he's the best rugby player the world has ever seen," he said.

But the World Cup provided its lessons and with New Zealand having learned more than any other team, it was a case of having to get things right or you lost the opportunity.

"In the one just gone, [2019] we played really good rugby, bar for one game, and unfortunately that one game says, 'right, you don't get a second chance'.

"And England, who played so tremendously well against us, couldn't back it up in the final," he said.

Hansen also admitted to not coaching as well as he might have in the 2017 series against the British & Irish Lions.

"I was pretty disappointed in myself and some of the coaching decisions I made," he said.

At the same time, he felt the series could have been significantly different.

The way the second Test was lost, after Sonny Bill Williams' red card, and with the All Blacks leading into the final moments he was frustrated at the end.

"To lose it on a penalty where a guy tackles a guy jumping to catch the ball from a poor pass when everyone knows that wasn't intentional of that rule, that's frustrating.

"Then the last game was frustrating with the decision at the end [with Ken Owens] that was so obvious to everybody, but no one wanted to admit it," he said.

New Zealand should use rugby power to advantage

No more All Blacks can't win the World Cup away from home, no more All Blacks choke at World Cups, no more Dan Carter is past it, no more Richie McCaw isn't the king of the breakdown.

No more Craig Joubert favoured New Zealand in the 2011 final, no more World Cup finals are never spectacular.

The 2015 Webb Ellis Cup final was a summation of everything the All Blacks stand for and what a superb demonstration of determination by coach Steve Hansen to show just how rugby can be played, even under the weight of the law book, when a team has a positive approach.

All the concern about what the Australians would bring at the breakdown was knocked for six the moment the ball was kicked off to start the game. Huge tackles knocked the stuffing out of Australia and while they scored two tries to come back, they lacked the composure that McCaw and Carter provided – one with his leadership the other with his control around the field.

It is the end of an era, one of the finest in the history of an historic side who carry their legacy not as a burden, but as an inspiration to greater deeds.

McCaw's endurance and consistency set an example that will be the standard for the next 100 years while Carter's efforts will have a statistical impact and his match management will be forever the measure of first five-eighths, who will have to have a high tackle quotient if they are to be fit for comparison.

Ma'a Nonu showed just why the All Blacks selectors stuck with him when others wanted him out. Conrad Smith, a superb touch in Nehe Milner-Skudder's try as a reminder of all that he brought to the game.

Keven Mealamu – a timely run in space with ball in hand as the All Blacks sought control in the final quarter and no doubt Tony Woodcock was heavily involved, along with Wyatt Crockett in the scrum build-up during the week.

So what of the future? Already there will be excitement about what players like Codie Taylor, Sam Cane, Malakai Fekitoa, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Cruden can bring to the All Blacks.

The British and Irish Lions loom in two years time. With such a core of experience moving on, we should recall what happened in 1998 when a similar body of players retired or went off-shore. It won't be easy, victory will not be as common, or as emphatic.

But that's all part of the enjoyment.

Just two parting thoughts, how ridiculous would it have been had Australia won and moved to No.1 in the world rankings? Given their record since 2011 they should have been nowhere near an All Blacks side who had lost only three Tests over the four years.

The rankings are a joke and are not reflective of the state of the world game.

And how much leverage does this effort give Hansen around the table when it comes to discussing the way the laws should be applied in the future? How good would it be to be a fly on the wall during that meeting?

Steve Hansen on 'flattery alert'

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is on flattery alert after Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer's lavish praise regarded the New Zealand team as possibly the best to ever play the game.

As the two teams prepare for their Rugby World Cup semi-final showdown at Twickenham on Sunday morning (NZT), the usual war of words has turned into a mutual admiration society, and Hansen has warned it's all a ruse.

Meyer looked to be reading his compliments from prepared notes during his Wednesday press conference which would give substance to Hansen's claim that it was all part of a Springbok master plan.

"Externally some people have got carried away [after New Zealand's 62-13 win over France], but internally it has been really important to put a full stop on it," Hansen said.

If New Zealand didn't they would go from being great to struggling.

"It is going to require another top performance on Saturday," he said.

"He [Meyer] has been praising us all week. That is a tactic. Whilst I know he means some of it, at the same time I know they're getting ready to rip our heads off and we need to be in that same state. A cunning wee devil is Heyneke.

"Behind closed doors, he is not saying that too much. If we don't come with our A game then we won't get a chance.

"You can't get caught lapping up the praise," Hansen said.

The New Zealanders, who are chasing their first Webb Ellis tournament win away from home soil, were where they wanted to be.

"We are really excited. It has been a great week and we are ready to go," he said.

Hansen added that he didn't think the All Blacks had reached their peak.

"I don't think we've played our best rugby. We went through the pool stages and [the media] were telling us we were struggling, which I really appreciated because it kept us on edge and then we played really well," he said.

It was the same again this week and the prospect was even worse than the loser going home, the prize was worse, having to play the game for third place.

The All Blacks respected the fear of not making the finals.

"It's a stupid man that doesn't fear. If you go into a fight and you don't fear the guy you're fighting then you're either fighting the wrong bloke or you're stupid.

"That fear just heightens everything. It makes sure all your emotions are in the right place so you can deliver the performance you need to," he said.

Hansen says focus on key areas paid off

New Zealand had reward in the areas they had been concentrating on in the lead-up to their 36-13 win over England in Hamilton on Saturday night.

Coach Steve Hansen said the things the All Blacks did well in their first half four-try blitz were what they worked hard on during the week. The skills had come through, the set piece had been good and the running lines had been great, the catching and passing was good and they finished off tries.

"From that point of view it was as good probably as you are going to get," he said.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said the second half frustration was attributable to England making the sort of start New Zealand wanted, and by making a couple of mistakes they had conceded a try.

"England kept playing and we went a wee bit hesitant, we didn't get our hands on the ball for quite a period," he said, adding that some frustration came in too when unable to build the required pressure.

McCaw said the team had got better each week but he felt they may have been guilty of not paying as much attention to their skills in the lead-up to the series, and the key now was not to regress before the regroup for the Rugby Championship.

Hansen said equalling the world record of 17 consecutive wins was pleasing from the point of view that they were trying to be successful in their approach of winning Test matches and the record was reward for that.

Hansen congratulated both sides for what he said was 'a fantastic three-match series'.

"In the past sometimes these June series have been under-rated by not bringing the best teams down and I think England paid us a massive amount of respect when they brought their best team down and it made for a wonderful three-match series," he said.

The first half performance had won the All Blacks the game in Hamilton and had been special. England had demonstrated their fighting spirit by making the second half a 7-7 draw, he said.

The series had seen several challenges thrown at the All Blacks and the second half had been another.

Hansen said the coaches had learnt a lot from the series and were not looking forward to the players going back to complete their Super Rugby programmes ahead of the Rugby Championship.

Backs coach Ian Foster said he was very pleased with starting debut centre Malakai Fekitoa who had done his basic roles very well and he had run some good, hard lines which required action from England's defence.

Hansen paid tributed to Foster's work with the backs in devising plays that challenged England's back defences, and which were exposed early by the All Blacks on Saturday.

"We got quality ball and we executed our skills better than we have in the last two Tests. Our running lines were better and our catch-pass was better so as a result of that we put them under a bit of pressure," he said.

Foster said he was conscious the midfield had been an area New Zealand hadn't executed that well against England over the last two years and they had to be at their best to achieve in that department which they hadn't done over the past two weeks.

All Blacks coach prepared for fiery England

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is refusing to follow the media line, both in New Zealand and England, that Stuart Lancaster's team have a herculean task ahead of them in the three-Test series.

Hansen announced his squad for the series on Sunday in Auckland.

It features two new All Blacks, Auckland and Blues lock Patrick Tuipolotu and Auckland and Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa, and three returning All Blacks loose forwards Victor Vito and Jerome Kaino and first five-eighths Colin Slade.

"I note that England have been written off but they will have a good side for the first Test. They are the most improved side in world rugby in the last 18 months," Hansen said.

The unbeaten 2013 season was well behind the All Blacks and now it was a case of coming back and reasserting themselves.

"That's a challenge we are looking forward to. Both sides are wanting to perform well ahead of next year's World Cup," he said.

Of his new players Hansen said Fekitoa had been in sensational form and while there were parts of his game that he could improve it was a no-brainer that he should be included in the side.

Tuipolotu was a tighthead lock who got his chance as a result of injury suffered by Luke Romano. But he had the core skills the selectors were seeking and they were looking forward to working with him.

Vito's return had come about because of the increased physicality of his play. He was picking up turnovers, carrying the ball better and making good ground.

"We always knew he was a good athlete," he said.

Kaino's call-up was anticipated given the form he had shown since his return from Japan. He showed he had lost none of his physicality from the moment he resumed with the Blues and as the season progressed he had adapted to the pace of the game and his intensity levels were good.

"I thought last night he was outstanding [in the Blues win over the Hurricanes]," he said.

Steven Luatua missed the squad but Hansen said he knew what the reasons were for that and it was up to him to motivate himself to improve in the same way that Kaino and Vito had done in their careers.

While there was a need to blood new hookers for the side, Hansen said the selectors would not pick players unless they were ready and the two young hookers who have been involved in the side's apprenticeship scheme, Liam Coltman and Nathan Harris, would spend time with the side in their respective regions. If there was an injury to either Keven Mealamu or Dane Coles the selectors would not rule out calling up a player like Crusaders hooker Corey Flynn.

With first five-eighths Aaron Cruden out of rugby for six weeks, and in a well-beaten Chiefs team on Saturday night, Hansen said he played like a player who had had time off, and in a side with some issues at the moment.

However, Cruden had shown in the past that he took time to come back and Saturday's game would have done him some good.

Hansen added that the selectors were already firm in their choice of first five-eighths for Saturday's first Test in Auckland.