Sir Steve Hansen: The All Blacks looked like they didn’t have ‘any idea’ how to play against the Springboks
Springboks back Damian Willemse celebrates and an inset of ex-All Blacks boss Sir Steve Hansen.
Sir Steve Hansen believes that you can’t ‘read too much’ into the All Blacks’ record defeat to the Springboks last year in Wellington.
Rassie Erasmus’ South Africa were beaten 24-17 when the sides first met at Eden Park last year, but claimed an emphatic 43-10 victory seven days later in the capital city.
Many viewed the result in Wellington as a turning point in the Springboks‘ season as they remained unbeaten for the rest of the year, going on to defend their Rugby Championship title and secure a clean sweep during their November tour to the northern hemisphere.
Saw something different from the All Blacks
However, Hansen took more away from how the All Blacks performed on the day than how Erasmus’ men did. “No, I saw something different in the All Blacks [not the Springboks],” he told Martin Devlin on the DSPN podcast.
“What I saw wasn’t very exciting because it looked like we didn’t have any idea how to play and when you’ve got talent that is doing that, then that’s sad.”
In hindsight, that result was pivotal in the New Zealand Rugby board’s decision to part ways with head coach Scott Robertson, as it was not only a record defeat for the All Blacks but also their second in the Rugby Championship after falling to a 29-23 defeat to Argentina.
Their performances in November were also far from convincing, as they laboured to wins over Ireland and Scotland, lost to England and were made to work hard for a victory over a poor Wales outfit.
Don’t get carried away by the scoreline
While Hansen was damning in his review of the loss to South Africa in Wellington, he wasn’t going to get too carried away, pointing to the Boks’ 57-0 loss in 2017 and managed to turn things around to win the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
“People get carried away by the score a lot of the time. I remember we beat the South Africans 57-0 in North Harbour, they won the next World Cup, didn’t they?” he said.
“So just forget the scorelines because sometimes there are circumstances that create those scorelines, and the All Blacks had a really average last 30/40 minutes in that Test in Wellington. Does that mean that it’s going to be the same margin all the time? No, it doesn’t, and sport is not like that. I don’t think you can read too much into that.”
The Greatest Rivalry Tour
Still, Hansen gave South Africa their flowers: “Are the Springboks a really good side? Yeah, of course they are. That’s why they’re number one in the world at the moment, and they’re setting the standards, but you can either follow or you can pinch a few ideas and create a few new ones yourself.
“Get your own house in order and say, ‘Right, we’re up for this challenge’. It’s exciting for the All Blacks, they’re going to go on a tour to South Africa with a big squad, and they’ll learn a lot about themselves. They have got a new coaching regime, which is exciting, and let’s see what happens at the end of that.”
The 2015 World Cup-winning coach is relishing the prospect of his former team’s tour to South Africa, with the two nations enjoying a rich history and rivalry between them.
“South Africa is steeped with history; it’s traditionally our strongest foe, they’re a wonderful side at the moment, and they produce a lot of challenges for us to be able to get excited about,” he said of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour.
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Can the Springboks be beaten?
Before he was asked, can the Springboks be beaten. “Of course they can. Everyone can be beaten,” he replied. “I remember back when we were really successful, everyone said, ‘Oh, can’t be beaten?’ And we always knew we could be beaten. If you get comfortable, you’ll get beaten.
“And if you make mistakes in your preparation, you’ll get beaten. Have they got a very good team at the moment? Yeah, they have. But we do, too. And there are other countries out there that do, too. You just have to make sure that you get all your ingredients right when you’re baking the cake.”
