Steve Hansen: This is the year we see what Razor's All Blacks are made of

Sir Steve Hansen says 2025 is the year we’ll learn exactly how good Scott Robertson’s All Blacks are after a promising yet imperfect 2024.

Four losses in the calendar year dented “Razor’s” opening campaign at the helm, having earned promotion to the All Blacks throne with seven Super Rugby titles in as many years with the Crusaders.

Hansen, who coached Robertson at the Crusaders, has always believed in his former pupil while maintaining his trademark dose of realism about the degree of challenge shifting from club to international coaching poses.

Antoine Dupont speaks at the official Men’s Six Nations launch

France star Antoine Dupont spoke to the media at the official Guinness Men’s Six Nations launch event in Rome and at the Colosseum.

Antoine Dupont speaks at the official Men’s Six Nations launch

France star Antoine Dupont spoke to the media at the official Guinness Men’s Six Nations launch event in Rome and at the Colosseum.

“I just think they’re all trying to find their feet,” Hansen told Sport Nation’s Beaver & Guy.

“The whole coaching staff and a lot of the backroom staff are all new to international rugby and it’s been a long time since that many people have been new to the team. So, it’s different, it’s totally different to where they’ve come from and the rugby’s different. The travel’s different. It’s just not the same thing.

“So, they’ll have done a lot of learning in the last 12 months and realised some of the stuff that they were wanting to do might not be what’s needed to be done, and then they’ll have worked out that some the stuff they’ve done is good.

“The next 12 months is how we can really judge them.”

The record speaks for itself, with a 74.1 per cent win rate thanks to a brace of losses to the reigning world champions in South Africa, also coming up short against powerful performances from Argentina and France.

Hansen, who boasts an 87 per cent win rate over his entire eight-year tenure as All Blacks coach, knows the pressure to get results is uncompromising.

“They’ll need to be better because New Zealanders expect them to be,” he said. “There’s no All Blacks team that’s allowed to go out and just have mediocre performances and not win. They’ll need to win more and they’ll need to play better.

“That’s the pressure you have; it’s constant when you’re with the All Blacks. They’ll now know that, they’ve experienced it, so they’ll want to tidy up the back end of their games. It’s been well-reported they haven’t scored a lot of points in the last 40; they’ll be scratching their heads trying to work out why that’s been the case.”

The knighted World Cup winner is back in coaching this year after occupying a Director of Rugby role with Toyota Verblitz in Japan’s Rugby League One over recent seasons. He is joined by Ian Foster, who headed the All Blacks era between him and Robertson.

The pair are reunited after spearheading a historic winning period in international rugby with the All Blacks.

“The tool belt’s back on, and thankfully, I have Fozzie here to assist me and help.

“It’s going good. I’m enjoying it, enjoying being back with him and actually enjoying being back on the field and doing a bit of coaching. It’s been fun.”

When the chance to move from the office back onto the field came his way, Hansen insisted Foster join him.

With Foster’s turbulent stint as All Blacks coach now in the rearview, Hansen says he’s better for the experience and now at the top of his game. Hansen also admitted both he and Foster still harbour some of the negativity that was thrown their way while leading New Zealand.

“He’s a bit like me, still carrying a bit of weight. But, honestly, I think he’s coaching now better than he’s ever coached. He’s enjoying himself, he’s having fun and he’s with people he trusts away from the limelight obviously.

“He did a marvellous job with the All Blacks, in the end, I think he earned the respect of just about everybody, just the way he coped, his honesty and integrity, and the job he did. I don’t think he’s looking backwards, he’s looking forwards. I know he’s enjoying it up here.”