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What was the first thing that Steve Hansen did after the All Blacks' loss sunk in?

By Online Editors
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.

Liam Napier / NZ Herald

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The morning after the night before and the All Blacks are struggling to suppress raw emotions attached to their World Cup semifinal defeat.

At the end of their 19-7 loss to England in Yokohama, many players slumped to the turf with disappointment and dread.

Players were laid out across the field, many not knowing how to react.

Steve Hansen eventually wandered off to the side of the field where he made a phone call.

He then spoke with former All Blacks coach Graham Henry and centre Conrad Smith.

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Asked today who he called, Hansen needed to compose himself to prevent an emotional response that would lead television bulletins for days to come.

“I rang my wife,” Hansen said, pausing to take a sip of water in order to give himself a moment to suppress the overwhelming sadness. “And we had a bit of a chat.

“I then talked to Ted [Henry] and Conrad about ’07 and we mentioned the fact it’s no different, the same gutting feeling.

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“Then Ted and I talked about how well George Ford had played. Ted had quite a few comments and I did a bit of listening, trying to do a bit of learning, and then you just move on don’t you?

“Is it hard to stomach? Course it is. It’s gut-wrenching because we wanted to win the thing but so did they. Life’s not fair so when would sport be fair. You don’t always get the thing you want. And when you don’t you’ve got to measure your character on how you deal with that.

“What comes out of a tournament like this, and it’s unique because it’s knockout and you don’t get a second chance, so the pain isn’t alleviated by playing another test next week.

“Whoever we play next week won’t alleviate the pain that we haven’t achieved what we wanted to which was come here and win it. You’ve got to bank that and sit back and learn the lessons.

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“We’ll do that when the tournament finishes, about what we could have done better.”

All Blacks captain Kieran Read experienced a similar moment at last night’s post-match press conference when asked about whether his men turned up with the right attitude.

Today the scar above Read’s right eye began to heal but those on the inside were again laid bare as he spoke with a lump in his throat while reflecting on the devastating result that forces him to contest a third and fourth playoff in his final test.

“It’s pretty empty. It’s not what we came here for, that’s the reality of it. It’s not going to define us as a group or who we are,” he said.

“There’s no two ways around it that you’re really gutted but I’m sure there’s a lot of people in that same boat with us and going through those emotions. We feel for them as well.

“As the leader, you look at ways you could have done things differently but that’s all hindsight. It’s not going to affect your emotions right now. It’s not going to change the fact we lost. I’m proud of the effort and character.”

Read was particularly emotional when he arrived back at the team hotel.

“The fact it was my birthday so to get back to the hotel and there were cards from my kids waiting for me. That puts things in perspective. It’s a rugby game. People care, we care, so you enjoy moments. For me, I’m a dad and first and foremost that’s the thing I want to be remembered by.”

This article originally appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission.

All Blacks fans weren’t quite as shocked as Steve Hansen after their side’s loss to England:

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Trevor 2 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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Bull Shark 6 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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