The calm after the storm
Hansen stays grounded as All Blacks somehow pull off the great escape
It’s nice to know you can rely on Steve Hansen.
In an unpredictable rugby world where the All Blacks can be look dead and buried one minute, then emerge victorious the next, there’s a comfort and certainty to be found in Hansen. Not for him grandiose statements or the drawing of long bows.
No. The New Zealand coach would be the first to admit that this season’s Rugby Championship clashes with South Africa have been good ones. The Springboks’ 36-34 victory in Wellington will be remembered for a long time, while the All Blacks’ 32-30
‘‘Everyone gets excited about how this game is going to make a difference at the World Cup. It won’t matter a hoot.’’ Steve Hansen
comeback win in Pretoria on Sunday had plenty of merit. But they won’t decide the outcome when the team’s next meet, during pool play at the 2019 World Cup, nor make the matches on each team’s northern hemisphere tours more winnable.
Just as Hansen urges players to keep calm and focus on the next task, so he was keeping his feet firmly on the ground after a dramatic evening at Loftus Versfeld.
‘‘Everyone gets excited about how this game is going to make a difference at the World Cup. It won’t matter a hoot,’’ Hansen said afterwards.
‘‘What it will do is, for our young players who haven’t been in a situation when they haven’t been behind before, they’ll put their head on the pillow tonight understanding that don’t stop believing.
‘‘For the South Africans it will be ‘don’t stop playing, don’t give an inch’. Both teams will get plenty out of it.’’
But no more than that. There are always lessons to absorb and hunches that are potentially confirmed, but no All Blacks careers will be defined in this game.
From 6-6 at halftime, the Springboks burst out to a 23-6 lead. With six minutes to go they led 30-18, before tries to Scott Barrett and Ardie Savea – the last converted by Richie Mo’unga with the final kick of the game – clinched a victory that clearly meant a lot to the players.
Mo’unga’s performance off the bench will generate discussion about who New Zealand’s best first five-eighth is, while the midfield combination of Sonny Bill Williams and Ryan Crotty have had better nights.
Elsewhere, openside flanker Sam Cane took another bad knock – this time to his neck – with Ardie Savea impressing in his place.
Otherwise, the enduring memory from this game will be that the All Blacks appeared to have a clear sense of direction and purpose at the end, after lacking composure in Wellington three weeks ago.
‘‘You think back to how we didn’t manage that game well, but I think Kieran [captain Kieran Read] and the leaders can take lots of pleasure and satisfaction in how they managed this game,’’ said Hansen.
‘‘It could have easily been one we let go and allowed them to win. They dug in deep and refused to give up and sometimes, if you keep knocking on the door, someone will open it and you can come in.
‘‘South Africa played incredibly well and were probably unlucky not have won. We felt we were unlucky to lose in Wellington and they probably feel that they were unlucky to lose this one.’’
Whether it means South Africa will be competitive next year and beyond, remains to be seen. But they’ve given New Zealand as good as they’ve got in 2018 and made for some interesting encounters.
That’s good for the game, but nothing to get carried away about.