Beauden’s breakthrough
Steve Hansen gets all emotional: ‘We are very happy’
Steve Hansen didn’t fire any verbal arrows at Michael Cheika last night. But, then again, he didn’t need to.
He just sat back and let his All Blacks team peel off a series of warning shots in Dunedin last night, as they demolished Wales 46-6 to secure a 3-0 series win, and when they fly to Sydney for their next test on August 20 not even the most parochial Ocker would dare suggest the post-World Cup exodus of senior players has left this New Zealand side in a vulnerable state.
Hansen and Cheika have traded comments over the last week or so, with the New Zealander suggesting his Wallabies counterpart had allowed England coach Eddie Jones to use the media to bully him.
Cheika retorted that Hansen had taken a ‘‘shallow’’ view of how the coaching business worked, saying everyone was happy to kick the Aussies when they were down.
So the scene is set for a transTasman cracker, potentially the kind of contest that was so sadly lacking from the series against Wales.
Hansen and his coaching crew couldn’t have hoped for a better start to this new era. True, the ragged Welsh weren’t up to much, but the way the All Blacks have thrived since the departure of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock, Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith is to be commended.
‘‘If anyone had said you are going to lose 818 caps and do what we have done over the last three weeks, you would be very happy,’’ Hansen said. ‘‘And we are but we are not the finished article, yet.
‘‘Not many teams would carry on, as if that hadn’t happened. Particularly with the quality of the people that we lost. ‘‘So we are very happy.’’ Apart from Damian McKenzie and the injured Charlie Ngatai, Hansen gave everyone in the squad a run against the Welsh.
In addition to Elliot Dixon, Liam Squire and Ofa Tu’ungafasi making their test debuts at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Hansen tinkered with his backline by pushing Israel Dagg to the wing, Ben Smith to second five-eighth and Waisake Naholo to centre.
The defence was as tight as a mouse’s eardrum and the way they kept Wales, who like the big bad wolf huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow down the black wall, try-less was impressive.
Dagg produced one of his best performances in the black jersey pB2-B3 since he blitzed defences during the 2011 World Cup, Beauden Barrett thrived in a rare start at firstfive as a replacement for Aaron Cruden.
‘‘We have got better with each game, we have blooded a lot of new people, we have a new leadership group and a new skipper – all of whom have done really well,’’ Hansen said. ‘‘We have answered a lot of questions that need answered.’’
The players will now return to their Super Rugby clubs – and have some sympathy for Squire who rather than soak up the backslaps from his mates in Dunedin must leave on Sunday to join his Highlanders team-mates in South Africa – and if they all remain fit Hansen will have a roster stacked with talent from which to pick his squad for the Rugby Championship.
He has nurtured the talent and now he can afford to be selective. Look at the midfield. No-one out there is lamenting the huge hole left by Nonu and Smith. Before this latest test who would have touted George Moala as a candidate to push for a place in the squad as a midfielder?
Moala’s performance in the third test, when he made several line breaks and scored a try – and blew another, but at least had the confidence to back himself – sums up the depth at Hansen’s disposal.
Then there is Dagg. After he was sacked from the World Cup squad, he has rebounded in spectacular fashion. ‘‘We kept telling you he was a world-class player,’’ Hansen chided the media pack. ‘‘You didn’t believe us, but maybe you will now.’’