Hansen delighted with All Blacks’ season
It was Steve Hansen’s emphatic message about the vital lessons gained in Europe that might worry Warren Gatland most.
All Blacks coach Hansen, having observed his leg-weary side fight to subdue a vigorous and game French team 24-19 in Paris yesterday, can now spend the summer thinking about how to give the Gatland-coached British and Irish Lions a besting when they tour New Zealand next winter.
Despite what happened in Chicago three weeks ago, when Ireland put an end to the All Blacks’ 18-match winning streak, Hansen has multiple reasons to view this season as a resounding success.
Remember, this was a team that has lost well in excess of 800 test caps and also had to deal with its leadership group, including the great Richie Mccaw, being gutted after the World Cup.
Yet the All Blacks just loadedup their cannons and kept firing shots, furnishing a 13-1 record.
Hansen may not have been throwing a party to celebrate the way Beauden Barrett kicked in general play in Paris, but said playing northern hemisphere teams forced his players to think about adjusting their style.
And that could be of benefit when the Lions tour next year.
‘‘Maybe we over-emphasised it (the kicking game) a little bit, but to be fair I am quite happy with that,’’ Hansen said. ‘‘I would rather we learn. We are a young group, we have 20 players who weren’t at last year’s World Cup, there are 11 new All Blacks and not many of them have played northern hemisphere rugby.
‘‘It is a different game, and you need a kicking game. Barrett hasn’t played at five-eighth too often against the northern hemisphere and he is learning. And Cruds (Aaron Cruden) did well when he came on.’’
Maybe Gatland learned a few things, too. While Barrett was over-egging his kicking game, even though he varied his tactics in the second half by popping little dinks and chips in behind the blue line, he was giving the Lions’ management a few ideas about how they could try and create selfdoubt for the Kiwis during the three-test series.
Gatland must have excitedly reached for the remote when he saw the French put the All Blacks’ scrum under tremendous pressure, as they rammed through it like a bulldozer spreading mud prior to No 8 Louis Picamoles scoring his try in the second half.
As if to counter their struggles in that set-piece, the All Blacks had Le Bleus’ measure with their lineouts, and Barrett displayed his attacking wizardry by scoring his intercept try and setting-up Israel Dagg’s five-pointer by launching a perfect cross-kick to Julian Savea’s wing.
So, now Hansen, who says he is going to holiday at an undisclosed destination, can rest easy. This team will only get better, he will hope.
‘‘To lose just the one match, to play some good rugby at times and to stand up under pressure, late in the season, when fatigue is a big factor … We are very proud.’’