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'How disappointed? Very' - Hansen's blunt assessment on the All Blacks' persisting problem

By Online Editors
Dane Coles of the All Blacks receives a yellow card. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The All Blacks say Wales are welcome to the No.1 world ranking, relaxed to shed themselves of the long-held status heading into a Rugby World Cup defence that is gathering serious momentum.

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Coach Steve Hansen was bemused that New Zealand should lose the top spot they’ve held for a decade in the immediate wake of a 36-0 crushing of Australia.

However, he won’t be losing any sleep over it, reminding Welsh counterpart Warren Gatland that the spotlight will now shine a little brighter on the Six Nations champions when they arrive in Japan.

“We just need to get ourselves in the right frame of mind to go over and win the World Cup, so I’m not too worried about that.”

After three patchy outings in 2019, the All Blacks rediscovered their mojo at Eden Park.

Rivals hoping the three-time world champions were back-pedalling won’t have enjoyed the sight of a Kiwi pack defying critics in compelling style while new wingers Sevu Reece and George Bridge injected energy on the end of a slick backline.

“It’s massive really because everyone externally was starting to get a bit shaky and starting to question whether the coaches still had it, the players still had it,” Hansen said.

“Where we had question marks, we no longer have question marks.”

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Hansen’s only gripe was the yellow card shown to hooker Dane Coles for a dangerous judo flip on Wallabies halfback Nic White.

It came a week after Scott Barrett was sent off for his shoulder charge in the heavy loss at Perth and represents a concerning trend, as the outcome big World Cup matches could swing on ill-discipline.

“How disappointed? Very. We’ll deal with that behind closed doors and move on,” Hansen said.

“It’s a constant work-on for Colesy and it’s a good reminder for him.

“You’re going to get moments when he does something you’d classify as dumb.”

New Zealand’s World Cup squad is named on August 28 and they’ll play Tonga in Hamilton on September 7, two weeks out from their mouth-watering tournament opener against South Africa.

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Hansen expects five-eighth Richie Mo’unga to be fit to face Tonga, having suffered minor shoulder damage against Australia.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika after Bledisloe loss:

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 5 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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