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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Wales suffer crucial injury blow before All Blacks test
Gatland delighted by North’s return
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Comments on RugbyPass
This article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
1 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
29 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
226 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
226 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
18 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
18 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to comments