Gatland vs Hansen: Forget the headlines about a rivalry, because there isn’t one
We’re almost at the finish line of what seems like an eternal New Zealand representative season. It really does seem like an age ago we were covering the British & Irish Lions tour, but it almost seems fitting that it’s going to end where it began – with Steve Hansen facing off against Warren Gatland.
Is it because this is one of the titanic rivalries of rugby? Not really, Hansen owns Gatland in the match up stakes at 12 wins to one. Is it because of the brand of rugby the two teams are capable of? Unlikely, given that the All Blacks are clearly tired and the Welsh laboured to a turgid win over Georgia last weekend.
The real answer is that there really isn’t a reason, but everyone likes to to think there’s one.
Gatland’s year has been interesting, to say the least. He returned to New Zealand as the coach of the Lions, improbably almost winning a series and most definitely winning few friends. If his goal at the start of the tour was to show that he was capable of being All Black coach then he failed, and then had to field criticism from Irish flanker Sean O’Brien that bordered on absurd.
Meanwhile, Hansen has managed to have the first serious questions about the All Blacks’ performances thrown at him in his six season tenure – on the back of an unbeaten Rugby Championship campaign and record wins over the Wallabies and Springboks, mind you. The All Blacks’ lethargy during the end of year tour has been palpable, leading eager scribes in this part of the world to start daring to tread into asking if Hansen is running the team in the right way.
But between them, there isn’t really anything to report. Neither man has much to say about the other, but there’s a level of mutual respect. Hansen can at least be empathetic to the scrutiny that Gatland is under, having been a former Wales coach himself. While Gatland hasn’t been in Hansen’s position, he’s at least worn the All Black jersey himself and will have a pretty good idea of what the job entails.
And so they meet again this weekend at Principality Stadium, with the two coaching pseudo-enemies facing down in a test match that is interesting only because it seems like the All Blacks might run out of breath before they reach the finish line.
Forget the headlines about a rivalry, because there isn’t one.
Of course, this game would actually worth be getting excited about if the Welsh hadn’t been cruelly robbed of their most potent attacking forces in Jonathan Davies and Liam Williams. Both men tore up the All Blacks in the Lions series, and will be sorely missed.
If the Welsh are any chance in this one, it’s up front anyway, where they can only hope that the All Blacks put in a Chicago-like performance and start botching their set piece. The pressure on Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett needs to be relentless, but that’s easier said than done.
There’s just one other thing that Gatland and his team need to be concerned about, which is that the All Blacks have most certainly already had their banana-skin moment on this tour – last week at Murrayfield. That 22-17 win makes Hansen’s motivational job this week a bit easier, considering that there’d be more than a few All Blacks walking off the pitch relieved that they weren’t the first side to ever lose to Scotland.
So forget about any manufactured coaching duel. The real story of the weekend is one banged up team vs one that clearly can’t wait to get back to the NZ summer.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments