Hansen talks Sevu Reece selection: 'I think it's really important to understand that no one condones domestic violence'
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has strongly defended Sevu Reece’s selection in his team’s Rugby Championship squad, saying the exciting uncapped wing deserves a chance to better himself after an earlier domestic violence charge.
In October, Reece, now 22, was discharged without conviction in the Hamilton District Court on one count of male assaults female, which he admitted to, and he has since blossomed during his time in Christchurch, scoring 15 tries on the field and satisfying all off it that he is not only comfortable in Super Rugby but that he has potential to be the same at the next level.
Hansen and his fellow selectors believe the Fijian-born Reece has the character and quality to represent New Zealand and thrive in the high-pressure test rugby environment following his standout performances with the Crusaders in his first year of Super Rugby.
In an interview with the Herald today, Hansen said Reece, one of four new caps selected in the 39-player Rugby Championship squad, wouldn’t have been picked if he didn’t have what it took to be an All Black on every level.
“I think it’s really important to understand that no one condones domestic violence,” Hansen said. “At the same time, as employers of anyone who goes through that, you have a duty of care to help that person get better, and I think in the case of Sevie, the Crusaders have done a magnificent job of working with him.
“He has flourished in their environment – there’s no doubt he’s a better person, from what we can understand, and he’s performing like a world-class athlete.
“As New Zealand Rugby employees, we have a duty of care to make sure we turn our rugby players into better people because better people make better All Blacks.
“Really all our job now is to bring him into our environment, as we’ve chosen to, and make sure he continues his growth as a human being and man and live up to all the expectations that we have for all of us in society.
“We look forward to working with him because by all accounts he’s a lovely young man. Yes, he’s made a mistake and he’s recognised that and has improved himself because of that mistake. That’s all you can ask another human being to do.”
There is also a feeling within the All Black coaching group that Reece, who has re-committed to the Crusaders until 2021, wouldn’t be playing as well as he has if he hadn’t learned some important lessons and embarked on a fresh start. Reece’s ability to consistently create opportunities for himself and his teammates with his pace and power has impressed Hansen, and the right wing could be a point of difference at the World Cup.
Asked today in a press conference in Auckland as the All Blacks continued their pre-championship camp without the Crusaders, who are preparing for Saturday’s Super Rugby grand final against the Jaguares in Christchurch, how much of a bearing Reece’s off-field issues had in his selection, Hansen replied: “They didn’t form any, really. That’s all been dealt with – both in the court and by the rugby union.
“We’ve had conversations with the Crusaders people who have been managing him and everyone’s giving him a massive tick and he’s giving himself one on the track as well as off it at the moment.
“Whilst you have to take it into consideration, it’s been dealt with so we’ve moved on. He’s playing really good football – I don’t think there’s one New Zealander who wouldn’t put him in the team.”
Neither Reece nor any of his Crusaders teammates will play in the first Rugby Championship test against Argentina in Buenos Aires on July 21, but he is a possibility to play against South Africa a week later in Wellington.
The All Blacks will leave for Buenos Aires next Friday, minus their coaches, who will remain in New Zealand for a couple of days to monitor the Crusaders and get them up to speed with the game plan for the Championship.
The World Cup is obviously the main priority, but the first big one is the retention of the Bledisloe Cup – the two tests against the Wallabies are in Perth on August 10 and in Auckland a week later.
The long and arduous Super Rugby season has appeared to have taken its toll on the Hurricanes, in particular, following last weekend’s Super Rugby semifinal defeat to the Crusaders.
Neither Beauden Barrett nor Ardie Savea have made it to Auckland due to illness, with Jordie Barrett and Asafo Aumua also affected.
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission.
WATCH: Sevu Reece has made it into the first All Blacks squad of 2019, but will he make the World Cup?
Comments on RugbyPass
After their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
2 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
29 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
3 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to comments