Steve Hansen is a fine coach. Since becoming the Darth Vader and supreme commander of the All Blacks he has lost just the one match to England out of a total of 32 matches.
That sole blemish, a 38-21 loss in 2012 came after England had a superpower serving of scones, jam and tea for breakfast and were in fiery form. They slammed the darkness into their largest defeat since 1999, when the Wallabies blasted the All Blacks by a mighty 21 points in Sydney.
But even then, fate lent a hand by gently infecting the entire squad, bar two players, with the notorious norovirus. The norovirus is a particularly nasty little piece of RNA which is transmitted by touching another person. Which is pretty hard to avoid if you are a rugby player.
Lethargy, weakness, fever, headaches and power trips to the bathroom are not the perfect set of characteristics to possess when playing an away match in the heart of England.
So, unlucky Steve on that one.
Hansen possesses a large, impressive rugby brain squished down into an equally large body. He most certainly wasn’t tapped to be the overlord of the Darkness as a result of his warm media persona. He is, when interviewed, typically dull, monotone, cliche and un-engaging. Bland even.
Nor was he chosen for his fashion sense. He has an amazing and uncanny ability to look equally disheveled and crinkled in either a suit or a tracksuit. I am considering arranging a crowdfunding scheme to buy Steve an iron.
Graham Henry, by contrast, possessed an excellent media persona. That icy steel gaze that tore through any unprepared journo, and pity the one that asked a question of Ted that he might consider petty, inappropriate, rude or stupid. Ted didn’t suffer fools and would gladly rip your head off and eat your brains while they were still warm.
But this is about Steve. And moreso, it is about Steve in the coaches’ box for Bledisloe 1, 2014. From the eagle’s nest, Steve has the best seat in the house (aside from the reserve bench). And he is equipped with a wired world of information flow and free internet, with live streaming. He is also flanked by awaiting generals in Ian Foster, Grant Fox and Brian McLean and an empty chair where Wayne Smith should be sitting.
Us couch-sitters, with our 50-inch, 3D curved screen TVs are prone to scream commands to our favoured teams and loudly question the ref. Due in part, because we suddenly possess the ability to understand rugby better than the best players in the world. But Steve is the only one that can actually make it happen.
With a simple verbal instruction from his chair, Steve can command a waterboy, who is typically not carrying water and is not in fact a boy, to run onto the field and deliver the whispered orders.
With 24 penalties conceded and 11 scrums, coupled with two yellow cards, almost every two minutes contained one of these events. And it was obvious early that Jaco Peyper was intent on being the most influential person on the rain drizzled park.
But the damning statistics for New Zealand were the mere 28 runs, 17 kicks and more than double the tackle count, meaning that when it came time to play actual rugby, the All Blacks were playing defence instead of offence.
Steve Hansen had a game plan to play the conditions, kick behind (and particularly short in-field kicks), make the Wallabies turn, put pressure on the ball gatherer and force a mistake. Make them run and tire them down.
Nice plan. I knew it. You knew it. The boys at the bar knew it. Grandma knew it. And so did the dog next door.
But with long drawn-out scrums and resets, the Wallabies had time to regather. It took the pace out of the game. And with a growing penalty count it was time to change the plan. Go to Plan B. And you simply have to adapt to the ref. On several occasions, the All Blacks looked genuinely perplexed at Peyper’s rulings.
The players are not going to change the coach’s game plan that has been drilled into them. The only person that can do that is Steve.
It’s harder to be penalised when you’re the attacking team than when you are defending. On that, we fans would almost universally agree. And for 20 minutes, with a man down, you’re simply better off being the team with the ball in hand, rather than having a missing gap in the defensive systems.
With the rising penalty rate and with Peyper dominating events, Steve Hansen needed to take action to change what was happening on the field. To issue the instruction to retain more ball, rather than kicking away possession. He needed to alter the tactics. And that didn’t happen. This perspective was further reinforced this week when Ian Foster admitted, “We have go to attack better (sic) and our mind-set towards attack has got to be better”.
The only adjustment that seemed to occur mid-game to counter Peyper was the All Blacks’ defence sitting deeper, allowing the Wallabies to increase their phase count and hit-up with more space and confidence.
Steve obviously has good tactical sense and situational awareness to be aware when Plan A is not firing in real time. So where was the back-up plan? And the less said about the replacement of a settled Dane Coles in the best attacking position of the night, the better.
Often players will say that they did not adapt to the game when they lose. Is this not, ultimately, the coach’s responsibility?
44bottles
Roar Guru
Alternatively, "Hansens record does speak for itself ... 17 wins in a row. Does any international coach of a tier 1 nation have a better record than that?" Most coaches have clubs/teams/years they don't go well at. Graham Henry had a bad year in 07, Cheika didn't have the best time at Stade Francais. It happens to most.
Jerry
Guest
Hahaha, you're so butt hurt.
Firstxv
Guest
Look pop...that was over 10 years ago. People learn. What was deans excuse? Did he unlearn being a good coach? Hansen is now one loss in over 30 matches. Does any international tier one coach have a better record than that? Thank you for proving the point...pop.
Rebel
Guest
Way to pick and chose your stats. His current form is because of the cattle, his Welsh form because he is s poor coach. You really need to get that chip looked at.
rugby rules ok
Guest
Am I the only rugby person that thinks that of all the world sports rugby and cricket are the only two where the captain is in charge of the team and decision making on the the run once the team step over that mythical white fever line
Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW
Guest
I completely agree. I read where he drives people nuts & so on. But personally I like his pan faced replies to questions. ;) It is panned face isn't it? Hope he hasn't got some medical condition that prevents him smiling. :(
Jak
Guest
Don't be so precious son. Hansens record does speak for itself......11 losses in a row. Does any international coach of a tier 1 nation have a worse record than that? He obviously couldn't get the best out of the Welsh players so "To hide behind the ‘my grandma could coach the AB’s’ myth is frankly…pitiful." Problem is son, Hansens record shows that it ain't a myth. To think otherwise is frankly...... pitiful. Speaking of pitiful check out Hansens effort after the draw: from the SMH: "It was a different story in Auckland, where All Blacks coach Steve Hansen claimed a moral victory after a meeting with Peyper after the match. Hansen was careful to make clear the world champions were their own worst enemy in the tense but hollow match, but said Peyper had offered a mea culpa over his refereeing of the scrums." A moral victory?? lol http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/romain-poite-set-for-scrutiny-in-bledisloe-ii-as-referee-stoush-rumbles-on-20140821-106iyy.html
Wal
Roar Guru
Allanthus, I agree, one of the pleasing things with the AB's over the last 5 years of so had been when needed they would roll up their sleeves and get dirty. Think RWC final or the last half against Ireland last year. It just wasn't there on the weekend. Neither team was accurate, or particularly direct and I spent a good portion of the night waiting for a good solid set of pick and drives and they just never came. As the article said the WB were more enthusiastic.
Firstxv
Guest
Guess that explains Deans position then. Titles galore with the Crusaders but when pitted with rubbish didnt matter what he did...(and unlike Hansen that success was 'before' the dreaded failure) thanks for clearling that one up Jak. Hansens record speaks for itself. To hide behind the 'my grandma could coach the AB's' myth is frankly...pitiful.
Jak
Guest
Is he a fine coach or does he benefit from having top-class players at his disposal? From what i understand his record coaching Wales wasn't that impressive. Wasn't it 11 losses in a row? Only broken by defeating the powerhouse Romania.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
Stash, you mention that sides have to adapt to the referee, they also have to adapt to the conditions. AB supporters have become greedy over the years, not just hoping, but expecting their team to win with style, running in dazzling, counter attack tries with regularity. It is a trademark of contemporary All Black rugby to be sure, but it simply can't and won't happen all the time - particularly when the opposition is defensively well organised and up for a scrap, and even more so when it is p*ssing down rain and conditions are squelchy underfoot. And to those who counter and say that the Wallabies managed to use the ball better and run the All Blacks around, I say that most of this was side to side with not a lot of penetration or danger attached - again limited in effectiveness due to the conditions. Add up all the AB penalties against, set piece errors at crucial times, plus handling errors and there is the main reason they were playing without the ball and weren't able to impose their will on the game after the first 25-30 minutes. Most of the kicking done was with purpose or else reflected the conditions. No doubt that the AB's will try to retain more ball this week.
Winston
Guest
I find his dry wit quite entertaining with the media. Maybe it's an NZ thing.
Rugby Tragic
Guest
I would believe that there is some truth in parts of your article, however we are not privy to what instructions were sent down. But irrespective of the 'coach's instructions' to adopt plan "A", "B", or "C" (if there was one), I think it is unfair to not acknowledge that the Wallabies simply outplayed and out enthused the All Blacks by a margin. At the game, I was not quite to the grinding of teeth level but the intensity of the Wallabies obviously outshone the All Blacks and a little more clinical and the win was theirs, I for one would not have begrudged them. There was of course a litany of errors made on the park by the gladiators of the night which both Hansen and McKenzie must of been very frustrated. Nothing to do with the game itself but other than the persistent rain there was a spectator, a Wallaby fan constantly 'booing' whenever the AB's had the ball and in particular when Cruden lined up kicks for goal and kept standing whenever the ball moved from out of the half way zone. Not sure if he thought he thought himself as being funny, inebriated by the consumption of brown liquid or was just a yobbo. Why the paying public needs to accept that as normal behaviour was beyond me.