Hansen’s men for the job
ABS first as Hansen makes brutal cuts
Steve Hansen once made phone calls that were really difficult in his former life as a policeman. But he doesn’t mind admitting the conversations he had with Owen Franks and Ngani Laumape to inform them they had missed the All Blacks squad of 31 to head to the World Cup in Japan were right up there on the difficulty meter.
‘‘It is the toughest part of the job,’’ Hansen told Stuff of the two trickiest calls he made before unveiling his squad at Eden Park in Auckland yesterday. ‘‘You’re dealing with human beings who have got dreams and aspirations and your phone call is taking it away from them.’’
But in the current world that Hansen inhabits, there is no room for misplaced loyalty or
sympathy when there’s a World Cup to win. The team always comes first and Hansen and his fellow selectors have become adept at separating the emotion from the cold, hard realities of what they do.
The truth is this was not an exceedingly difficult squad to pick. The 31 by definition is going to add some angst as it creates a need for compromise. You simply cannot cover all your bases. There has to be a squeeze somewhere.
But in choosing this group of men charged with delivering New Zealand a historic threepeat of World Cup crowns there were really only three tight calls once the decision was made to carry the crocked Brodie Retallick (dislocated shoulder) as a lock who most likely will not be available until the quarterfinals.
Those were at prop, in midfield and with the final loose forward.
The latter, it is understood, took care of itself when Liam Squire’s requisite phone call to Hansen failed to reveal a man unencumbered by clouded thoughts. The coach was keeping the content of that conversation private, but the upshot was apparent: the Tasman and 23-test All Black No 6 was simply not able to commit to a full World Cup campaign.
‘‘Whilst Liam is playing really well for Tasman and is enjoying his rugby, at the conclusion of the conversation it was agreed he would make himself available if he was required as a replacement.’’
From there the call to go with Luke Jacobson over Vaea Fifita for the final loose forward spot took care of itself for two reasons: the selectors see a whole heap of upside in the Waikato and Chiefs hard man; and he brings the qualities they would have had from a Squire in his prime.
Hansen said they had full faith in Jacobson, 22, never mind that he has managed just the single test appearance this year because of an ongoing issue with his head.
‘‘His maturity is way beyond that,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s exciting where he could end up . . . if he stays injury-free he could have a long career in the All Blacks jersey.’’
The out-of-sorts Franks simply got squeezed out once Nepo Laulala produced that booming start at tighthead against the Wallabies. With Angus Ta’avao the preferred backup and Ofa Tu’ungafasi the utility, at a time when mobility is of the essence there was simply not room for a one-dimensional No 3, even if he has tucked away 108 tests and won two World Cups.
Atu Moli got the nod as second specialist loosehead, though probably sits behind Tu’ungafasi on the pecking order.
By Hansen’s own admission, ‘‘one of the great All Blacks’’ had simply been bypassed. ‘‘The game requires us to have big mobile [props] and in this case the other guys we’ve named are more so than he.’’
Laumape was also dreadfully unlucky, if only because he could probably have done no more with his body of work, but had simply missed out because Sonny Bill Williams and Ryan Crotty offered just that little bit extra with their experience and versatility, respectively. The writing had been on the wall there from the moment Williams put those four games on the bounce together.
Hansen told the pocket-rocket midfielder as much in their frank conversation. ‘‘The sympathy he gets from people is warranted because he’s a quality rugby player. He knows there could be opportunities through injury because it’s happened before when he’s missed teams and come in and played well.’’