Steve Hansen's unlikely friendship with Kiwi rugby nemesis
Away from plotting to end each other’s tournaments, Steve Hansen caught up with Andy Farrell, New Zealand rugby’s recent nemesis, in Tokyo this week.
Swapping stories with opposition coaches may seem unusual but having been around the test rugby block for the best part of 17 years now, Hansen knows virtually every international mentor.
Farrell’s defensive systems have caused the All Blacks major problems since the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour but those on-field frustrations don’t prevent friendships flourishing.
While he doesn’t get on with everyone in the international coaching fraternity, Hansen shared a similar friendship with former Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer.
In a week such as this, if there’s anyone that understands the pressures and emotions surrounding the most important test in four years, it’s your opposite number.
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Ironically, Hansen mentioning his casual meeting with Farrell helps drive home the reality of the All Blacks’ World Cup quarter-final with Ireland.
“Come the final whistle one will go right and one will go left. Stage right would be the way to go. We all understand that,” Hansen said.
“I caught up with Andy Farrell yesterday and had a bit of a yarn to him. In that conversation that was brought up, that one of us will be going home. That’s just the cold hard facts of the World Cup. We’ve experienced it ourselves in ’07 and there’s no guarantees we won’t experience it again.
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“Ireland are in the situation where they haven’t gone past the quarter-finals. They know what it’s like to go home so they’ll be doing their darndest not to, and we’ll be the same.
“You hope it becomes a good game of rugby that excites the tournament, it’s not affected by cards and at the end of it no one has any excuses and you then have to take your fate on the chin.
“Sport, like life, is not always fair. Sometimes you’re going to get the rub of the green and sometimes you’re not but the measure of your character is how you deal with either one of those things when the game is over.”
The other side of the equation, one Hansen and All Blacks captain Kieran Read are completely blocking from their minds, is the scenario where defeat immediately ends their respective tenures.
The same is true for Irish coach Joe Schmidt. This will, of course, be the case each week they remain in Japan.
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“You haven’t got room to get gaga emotional,” Hansen said. “When the tournament is over that’s when you step back and have a reflection on what’s next, what’s life going to be like but in the meantime it’s not even in your mind.
“You put a lot in so there’s a lot of emotional energy used but you don’t really suffer from the emotional side until it’s all over. You get bone tired. Win, lose or draw that happens.”
With pride and passion bubbling within, test weeks are emotional at the best of times but there is no denying a World Cup knockout match is an entirely different beast.
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For Read and his men on the field, they must walk the fine line between embracing and suppressing emotions. Get too hyped and there is a danger of losing heads and inviting Nigel Owens to add to the flurry of costly cards we’ve seen at this tournament.
Equally, though, the grand stage should also inspire.
“You’ve got to embrace what the occasion is going to bring,” Read said. “A finals game will certainly bring you a little bit more nerves, a little bit more pressure, which does create a bit of stuff in you physically which is great to have.
“It’s important to mix that with a clear mind. I want the guys to be pretty fired up for this game. We need to be in the right space but you can’t be over that line. You’ve got to be in the right area.”
Who deals with this dynamic best will exit Tokyo Stadium stage right.
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.
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Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments