Hansen plays down importance of All Blacks' Lions decider
All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen insisted there are much more important things in life than New Zealand beating the British and Irish Lions in Saturday’s blockbuster showdown.
With the three-Test series locked at 1-1, world champions the All Blacks and the Lions will do battle for bragging rights at Eden Park in Auckland.
Not since 1998 have New Zealand lost back-to-back home games – a record at risk following last week’s 24-21 defeat in Wellington – while the Lions’ most recent series victory over the All Blacks was in 1971.
But Hansen – a former policeman – attempted to play down the importance of the series decider, which has been compared to a Rugby World Cup final by Lions assistant Neil Jenkins.
“At the end of the day, it’s an important game, but it’s just a game, and don’t lose sight of that because there are some real things happening that are a hell of a lot more important. Life teaches us that all the time,” Hansen said via the Telegraph.
“It hurts to lose a game of footie, but it hurts a lot more to lose someone you love or to deal with people who’ve lost someone they love. It teaches you to keep it all in perspective. Don’t get too carried away with yourself.”
Hansen, who on Thursday confirmed Ben Smith has been cleared of concussion symptoms, continued: “Yes, it will go down in history that we lost the series, or that we won the series, but it’s really irrelevant in the long term of a player’s career. Because he’ll have to move on to the Rugby Championship. Whilst in that moment, it will hurt. We’ll let it go pretty quickly. You can’t hang on to it.
“It’s like 2015, we won the World Cup. But then, OK, so what? You’ve got to win next year too, and you have to move on. So you get a wee moment to either sulk or celebrate, but you’ve got to keep moving, because if you don’t keep moving, someone is going to run you over. And there’s an expectation in this country that you keep moving, an expectation that we’re good at what we do. We understand that, so it doesn’t become a burden, it actually becomes a challenge.”
Highlighting the retirement of inspirational captain Richie McCaw and the departures of others following New Zealand’s World Cup triumph in 2015, Hansen added: “It’s been hard. Harder than people realise.
“You lose people like Keven Mealamu, Richie McCaw, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Tony Woodcock. All of them, bar Conrad, have played over 100 games. And that’s a lot of experience in big moments, a lot of adversity, because that’s where we grow up the best, when we have adversity in our life.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Average AB captain by recent standards. Speaks to the wider issue
7 Go to commentsWholesome lad, but no longer test level. At all
7 Go to commentsThis game was always going to be close, Canada have such a dominant pack and the Black Ferns have come unstuck in that area against teams like France and England in the past.
2 Go to commentsA distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
2 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
8 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
8 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to comments