Steve Hansen's 'inconvenient fact' for Les Kiss' Wallabies

Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has identified what he calls an “inconvenient fact” holding the Wallabies back after another Bledisloe Cup series loss.

Hansen, who spent 17 years with the All Blacks, including eight as head coach, oversaw much of what is now a 24-year reign as Bledisloe Cup holders. Much was made of Australia’s prospects coming into the 2026 edition of the rivalry after a famous win over South Africa, but New Zealand’s 93 points across the two Tests dwarfed Australia’s 40 and saw the Bledisloe Cup return to NZR’s trophy cabinet once again.

Reacting to the series on this week’s episode of the Rugby Unity podcast, Hansen addressed the Wallabies’ leadership, defending captain Harry Wilson by emphasising the communal nature of leadership responsibilities. Australia didn’t escape Hansen’s analysis without individual accountability, though.

“Well, leadership starts with yourself. So, if there’s 15 players out there, and they managed to keep 15 out there, which was good, there’s 15 leaders, and people have got to make decisions.

“And that leadership starts on a Sunday, so you start preparing yourself through the week, and then you have small leadership groups: two or three people looking after the lineout, working with the coaches, someone working with the defence, etc. And their job is to be able to implement the tactics, implement the standards through the week.

“And then at game time, you’ve got your drivers. You know, your captain. I think it’s a miss that the captain actually drives the game. Like there’s a series of people that drive the game, and the captain’s just one of them. So we’ve talked a lot about the lack of a genuine world-class 10, and I think the other problem is your second five. You just do not have someone complementing that 10, either at 12 or 15, who can come in and take the pressure off the 10 if he’s out of the line or if he’s under pressure, just come in and take a few of the passes off the halfback.

“So that’s an issue, and it’s been an issue for quite some time in Australian rugby. So with regard to the fans, the fans just have to keep being loyal, keep turning up, and, you know, keep asking for more. Because if they’re asking for more, the players will want more themselves. They won’t be satisfied with the scoreboard. I mean, they’re proud men, and they’re good rugby players. So they’ll find a way. It’s just a matter of being patient enough to let them get there.

“And whilst we’re talking, we’re putting a lot of pressure on whoever’s playing 10 because we’re saying they’re not the world-class player that we need them to be. But unfortunately, that’s just an inconvenient fact. I mean, New Zealand lost Love, they lost Mo’unga, and they can still play a Damian McKenzie.

“He had a go, so I’ve got to give him. He had a go. You can’t knock the performance of the kid. It’s just the inconvenient fact is he’s not a Damian McKenzie or (Handre) Pollard. You look at the best sides, they’ve all got great first fives.”