'You'll get beat': Sir Steve Hansen on Springboks series against All Blacks

Listened to Devlins YT interview and Hansen is always a bit of a dull speaker, only half paying attention but about the only topic worth reporting about on Rugby Pass was whether the ‘pathways’ are right at the moment or not.

Of course Hansen didn’t say anything specific about that, but it would have been an interesting topic to write about. Oh, and that he is another who mentioned that Springbok only won the final by one point and with very dubious officiating!

WHAT A LOAD OF UTTER BS😂😂 can’t believe is wasted 2min to “read” through this when all he does is quote Hansen.

Given the number of games and it is the All Blacks we should expect it to be close. Yes we will loose a game or two

I can’t believe Ben is still sore over losing games with 14 men. Can’t he (and the ABs) look to their u85kg team for inspiration? Having recently conquered Sri Lanka whilst sustaining 5 sin bins?

Not too mention South Africa’s own recent history winning games with 14 and sometimes 13 men on the field.

Evidently it can be done.

Steve Hansen (Captain Obvious) isn’t wrong - the boks certainly can be beat. Just like any team can be beat. Only one side has had a 100% win ratio in a given season in the last 13 years,

France.

And they were eventually beaten. And beaten many more times since that season by virtually all and sundry.

Not exactly rocket science.

What is interesting is that the Boks hold a "win" status over every major rival heading into the 2026 winter tests.

I wonder when last a team held such a status over every other top tiered team?

And I wonder if those teams were revered at all?

Here he comes! Benny boy - let the trolling begin…

Lol best Sir sticks to his day job in Japan

The ABs did not fire last year. Auckland was their best performance and that was a 7 out of 10 max. It was still a team in transition trying to work out how to play a structured power game. While I wanted to see where Razor could take that type of game, in reality, the fast paced brutal rugby that Rennie prefers suits the NZ DNA. And if the SR is any indicator, there are plenty of players for Rennie to chose from (though the front stocks are looking a bit thin). But three areas to fix will be key - the scrum and general forward intensity was poor to very poor last year - I cant recall a top 5 game where they dominated in the scrum, the ruck or offensive tackling. They were terribly passive in all three losses, especially Wellington. Ryan for all his early success has been disappointing as the forward coach. I am hoping the new Taranaki elder can bring back that intensity, aka mongrel. The ABs also need a play maker who can unlock the backline. BB is just not the right man. Third, and connected to the second, their open play and counterattack were really shite last year. Without big improvement in all three areas, the Boks will beat the ABs.

well lets wait and see what happens lookat razor robertsons record in southafrica

I think last years’ B&I Lions tour to Australia demonstrated that, regardless of perceived standing, it is actually unusual for one team to remain entirely dominant over another in a full Test series. Moreover, even though NZ had a disappointing season last year, they still have access to a strong depth of players and the capability to form multiple strong teams.

In order for the All Blacks to be successful in SA, they will need to establish more stability in their midfield selection, reconsider their loose forward ‘design’ (ie is it built for speed? Is the combination complimentary?), review their bench policy and, most pressingly, provide an answer to the power of the Springboks’ scrum.

Definitely a lot to do, but not insurmountable.