Hansen’s new role?
All Blacks coach linked with director’s job after World Cup
Steve Hansen could quit the All Blacks after next year’s Rugby World Cup for a newly created role as New Zealand Rugby’s director of rugby.
Former Ireland international Alan Quinlan claimed on the Off The Ball AM radio show he had spoken to former All Blacksturned-commentators Jeff Wilson and Justin Marshall, who had inside knowledge of Hansen’s coaching future.
Quinlan, who played 27 tests between 1999-2008, suggested Hansen could be set to move into a proposed director of rugby position with NZR should he step down from his head coaching position with the All Blacks after the 2019 World Cup.
Hansen is expected to make an announcement on his future on December 17.
Ireland’s Kiwi coach Joe Schmidt ruled himself out of the running, announcing earlier this week that he will finish coaching after the World Cup, leaving defence coach Andy Farrell to take over.
‘‘I spoke to Jeff Wilson last week and I was asking him and Justin Marshall: ‘What’s the talk back home in New Zealand?’,’’ Quinlan said.
‘‘Both of them were saying there’s no major talk of Schmidt coming back. They know what he’s achieving and people know he’s doing really well in Ireland. The talk is that Hansen is going up as a director of rugby and then there will be a possibility of a [vacant head coach] position.’’
It’s thought the health of son Luke is behind Schmidt’s decision. Luke, 15, suffers from epilepsy and battled a brain tumour when he was younger.
Hansen, 59, has been involved with the All Blacks coaching staff since 2004 and been head coach since 2012.
Quinlan said the expectation was All Blacks assistant Ian Foster will replace Hansen. ‘‘The thing that happened when Graham Henry left was that Hansen stepped up. So, there’s not an awful lot of change of structure to the group.
‘‘There’s talk that a similar scenario is happening with Ian Foster and he’ll step up and take the head coach role – with Hansen moving up into that director of rugby role.’’ ROBERTSON WAITS