The shadow boxing continues
Steve Hansen will be hoping to make every post a winning one when the All Blacks take on the British and Irish Lions in the long-awaited first test in Auckland tomorrow. Back and forth, back and forth they go these two savvy rugby coaches, playing the game within the game like champion tennis players trading blows from the baseline.
So far we’re on serve (and there have been plenty). We’ll know the winner of the first set some time around 9.30pm tomorrow night.
As a prelude to the looming seismic rugby battle between the All Blacks and British and Irish Lions, the first instalment of which will play out in Auckland tomorrow, the verbal jousting between the respective head coaches, Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland, who both happen to be New Zealanders, has been something to behold.
To sum up: here’s what we’ve had so far. All Blacks coach Hansen has had a little dig at his Lions opposite Gatland’s ‘‘predictable’’ coaching style, and then followed that up by announcing (prematurely) the Lions were soon to bring in reinforcements, and hinting at dissatisfaction in the ranks over a split between the Saturday and midweek teams.
Gatland returned serve. He made strong, and repeated, allegations that New Zealand teams use illegal blocking to protect kick receivers.
He also repeatedly talked about how ‘‘worried’’ Hansen must be by what’s coming their way.
All part of the banter that helps fill the gaps between matches, and all reasonably standard procedure. All is fair in love and war.
Predictably, both coaches were not going to allow their team-naming press conferences to pass without continuing the back and forth. Hansen, going for the subtle rather than sledgehammer approach, had a clear dig when he was asked what he would be talking to referee Jaco Peyper about before the match.
‘‘If I talk to you about it then I’m applying pressure to him in the media, and that’s kinda like bullying him, and I don’t want to do that,’’ declared Hansen. ‘‘I’ll quietly talk to him on Friday.’’
After discussing Gatland’s allegations about illegal, Hansen turned Gatland’s spotlight on himself.
‘‘The rule says as long as you don’t change your direction of running you’re entitled to run back and help your team-mate. But if you run five metres to get in front of someone, that’s dopey, and in that case Gats is quite right.
‘‘It happens every week. If you look at the Samoa game it happened to us. I’m sure if Warren was willing to look at his own team closely, they probably do it.’’ Advantage, Hansen. It wasn’t all pistols at 12 paces. There was even a little love from Hansen when asked about Gatland’s assertion he is worried.
‘‘Pretty cool, calm and excited,’’ he said of his state of mind.
‘‘Worry is a wasted emotion because if the thing you’re worrying about has happened, you need to fix it, so there’s no point worrying about it. And if it hasn’t happened, then get a plan so you don’t have to worry about it.
‘‘But that’s good feedback from Warren. I appreciate it.’’
Across town, Gatland had a chance to respond.
‘‘If I’m getting up his nose, then that’s a nice position to be in,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m not worried about Steve. He can say whatever he likes in the media.
‘‘We know it’s going to be a tough encounter so let’s let the rugby do the talking. There’s been enough trash talk. This could be a fantastic series.’’
Six-all, time for the tiebreak.
Steve said: ‘‘That’s good feedback from Warren. I appreciate it.’’ Warren said: ‘‘I’m not worried about Steve. He can say whatever he likes in the media.’’