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Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen overlooked by British critics as world's greatest

By Online Editors
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has been overlooked by critics as the greatest international coach in rugby history.

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British rugby critic Stephen Jones has instead picked former Wales coach Warren Gatland and ex-England mentor Clive Woodward – both of them also former British and Irish Lions coaches – as joint number ones in a feature for The Times.

Hansen wasn’t even ranked second.

Instead, Jones ranked Hansen behind Woodward, Gatland, another former Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan and Saracens’ Irish coach Mark McCall to place fourth.

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Jones hinted to the All Blacks’ bronze medal result at last year’s Rugby World Cup as the reasoning behind his pick.

“He may have run out of steam at the end but he has been bold and imaginative,” Jones wrote.

“Until recently he had kept New Zealand ahead of the pack, hardly ever bothered with what others thought was the best way to play and won so many games in such style.”

Jones said Hansen could not be ranked above Woodward.

“Sir Clive picked up a team with no infrastructure that was going nowhere. Hansen picked up the All Blacks when they were already world champions.

“Woodward’s philosophies are still being embraced by head coaches and imitators alike”.

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Meanwhile, former England and Lions first-five Stuart Barnes plumped Hansen in a more honourable second place.

He ranked Carwyn Jones – who coached the Lions to a series victory over the All Blacks in 1971 – as his number one.

“From 2013 to 2016 he coached the greatest team of them all. It’s hard to big up the Kiwi coaches because the players arrive so well prepared. But Hansen took them to a whole other level from the 2011 World Cup winners that Graham Henry steered. Hansen, the No 2, stepped up and became one of the great No 1s,” Barnes said.

Barnes had Woodward as his third choice, and Gatland fifth.

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.

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Bull Shark 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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