'It's a waste of time': Steven Hansen responds to All Blacks 'cheat' claims
By Patrick McKendry, NZ Herald
With the All Blacks leaving for Japan to continue their Rugby World Cup build-up on Monday after a final warm-up match against Tonga on Saturday, it’s clear coach Steve Hansen doesn’t want to provoke anyone or provide potentially bold international headlines.
Not surprisingly, he’s not too fussed about getting into World Rugby’s rankings shemozzle which has seen Wales lose their brief grip on the No 1 spot after their loss to Ireland in what was coach Warren Gatland’s final home game.
Quite rightly, Hansen, who held court in Hamilton today ahead of the test against Tonga at Waikato Stadium, believes the apparent randomness of Wales overtaking the All Blacks despite not beating them since 1953 is a conversation for another day and one that must be led by World Rugby.
But as for the All Blacks being called cynical at the breakdown and effectively the biggest cheats in the game, a perennial theme without any basis in fact, Hansen couldn’t help but draw a verbal line under it.
The latest attempt to re-write history has been made by former international Stuart Barnes, now a Times columnist, who believes the All Blacks are taking three openside flankers in Sam Cane, Ardie Savea and Matt Todd in order to emulate Richie McCaw’s dark wizardry at the breakdown.
“New Zealand, the most positive attacking team in the world, have their flip side,” Barnes opined. “They are also the most cynical cheats at a breakdown.”
All of which was given short shrift from Hansen, who said: “I haven’t given it any thought. It’s a waste of time.
“If he thinks that’s why we’re carrying three opensides, then carry on thinking that. He couldn’t be further from the truth, but carry on thinking it.
“All of that stuff is irrelevant… We’re playing Tonga this weekend,” Hansen added. “You’ve got commentators in the UK who’ve come out and said we’re cynical at the breakdown. We’re no different to any other team at the breakdown, but he’s got to say something because he’s got to sell his papers. Let’s not get caught up and buy into that.”
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And yet there may be a frustration too that the All Blacks have again been tarred with a brush that should have been thrown into the rubbish years ago, and if anything they now appear to get more attention from officials than many other teams.
An example is Irish lock Devin Toner’s shoulder to the head of Welsh prop Rob Evans late in Ireland’s 22-17 victory in Cardiff at the weekend. Toner, defending his line, went low and caught Evans in much the same way as Scott Barrett did Michael Hooper in Perth a few weeks ago.
The sanction for Barrett was a red card and a three-week suspension. Toner wasn’t penalised and at the time of writing hasn’t been cited.
That too is a conversation for another day, but the inconsistency of rulings will have the top coaches fearful of nearly every long blast on a referee’s whistle or television match official’s intervention in Japan starting with the first game in Yokohama between Japan and Russia on September 20. The All Blacks play the Springboks at the same venue a day later.
All 31 of the squad have now assembled in Hamilton, but there are minor injury concerns over Richie Mo’unga’s shoulder, which is why Josh Ioane has been brought in as cover, and Jack Goodhue’s hamstring.
The intention for Saturday’s match is to get game time into those of his players who need it most ahead of barnstorming opening test against the Boks a fortnight later. In Hansen’s control was the selection of that match-day 23, and to an extent, how his players prepare this week and indeed the next two months if they qualify for the final in Tokyo on November 2.
There was talk of other recent international results and how significant they were but, again, they are about as relevant to Hansen as the All Blacks being ranked No 1 again.
He said: “I can’t control what England, Ireland, Spain do – are they coming to the World Cup? No? Well, I definitely can’t control what they’re doing because they’re not coming. It’s a waste of time asking me. I don’t mean to be flippant or annoying. England, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, Scotland, France, they’re all going to be hard to be beat because they all want to win the tournament and are preparing well.”
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished here with permission.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
16 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
16 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
16 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
16 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
16 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
16 Go to comments