Hansen rules out coaching England
If England’s Rugby Football Union are already casting about for a successor to Eddie Jones, they can forget about All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
Hansen, who is off contract with New Zealand Rugby after
2019, has told the BBC he has no interest in succeeding Jones in the England job after the next World Cup.
‘‘I can say I won’t be coaching England,’’ Hansen told BBC Radio
5 Live’s Sportsweek programme. ‘‘If I was going to stay coaching international rugby then I’d stay coaching the All Blacks. It’s a massive time commitment no matter what team you’re with.’’
Hansen has yet to decide on his coaching future post-2019, and has not ruled out continuing on with the All Blacks. NZ Rugby have said they will give him all the time he needs to make that decision.
‘‘It would have to be right for the family and the team,’’ Hansen told the BBC.
‘‘If it’s not right for both those parties, it wouldn’t be right for me to go off and coach someone else. I’d rather stay and do it in New Zealand if it was right. I don’t know what I’ll do when the day comes for me to finish but coaching is in my blood.
‘‘I’ll probably be coaching until the day I die. Whether that’s in England, we’ll have to wait and see.’’
The experienced All Blacks mentor, who will have had 16 years as part of the Kiwi setup by the time the 2019 World Cup rolls around, also told the BBC
England should not panic on the back of three straight defeats to conclude a disappointing
Six Nations.
‘‘You don’t want to be panicking too much up there. England are a good rugby side,’’ Hansen added.
‘‘They have some very good players and one of the best coaches in the world. They should have a bit faith and I’m sure they’ll come back.
‘‘Yes they’ve lost three in a row and that’s the reality, but it doesn’t make them a poor side and nor does it mean they’re in crisis.
‘‘They have a few players out injured and a big workload because of the Lions, so they just need an off-season where they take a breath and I’m sure we’ll see a really good side in November.’’
Hansen said he had not been surprised by a post-Lions tour hangover for the English.
‘‘It’s something we thought might happen and it’s difficult. They’ll have an off season and I think the off season will be really important for the English guys. I’m sure they’ll sort it out and will be a tough team to beat in November.’’
The All Blacks will meet England and Ireland on consecutive Saturdays on their northern tour in November.