Locked in for 2019
Hansen aims for cup hat trick
The next All Blacks coach will ideally be on Steve Hansen’s staff at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Hansen was reappointed as New Zealand’s head coach through until March 2020, on Monday, extending an association that began as an assistant back in 2004. The 57-year-old became head coach in 2012 and has since won 52 of his 57 tests in charge, including the 2015 World Cup final.
He hasn’t ruled out having a dart at the 2023 World Cup but the most likely scenario is that he, and New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew, will take their bows after 2019.
By the time Hansen’s had enough, a generation of New Zealand coaches will have come and gone too. Openings within the All Blacks’ set up are rare and Tew conceded that keeping candidates sweet is a key consideration between now and 2020.
"We’ve kept the guys that we consider worthy of being on that list fully informed,’’ Tew said, after announcing that Hansen was extending his present deal by two years.
‘‘They know what’s going on and we, particularly through Don Tricker our high performance guy, spend a lot of time talking to the coaches, both here and overseas, and we’re in constant contact with them. ‘‘I think probably the best option will be [that] whoever takes over in 2020 is at the World Cup in 2019, in one capacity or another.
‘‘But we’ll work through that with the board, and Steve will have an input into that, in terms of how we plan for it.’’
Presumably those New Zealanders who are likely to be there with other nations, such as Joe Schmidt, Jamie Joseph, Warren Gatland and Vern Cotter, would come into the equation as well. Hansen’s preparation for inclusion on the All Blacks’ staff included taking Wales to the 2003 World Cup, which Tew described on Monday as ‘‘professional development.’’
But that’s assuming Hansen doesn’t seek a further contract extension.
‘‘I’d say so, but you never say no,’’ Hansen said, when asked if the 2019 tournament would be it.
‘‘[Athletics coach] Arch Jelley’s what – 94? [And] still coaching. But there is only one Arch Jelley so I won’t be coaching at 94, I can promise you that. But I don’t know [if I’ll walk away] and it’s not even worthwhile me thinking about that.’’
He said he was ‘‘comfortable’’ with being contracted through to early 2020 and would make a decision about his future after the 2019 World Cup.
‘‘In reality you’d say it’s probably likely it won’t be Steve Hansen coaching at that point. It’s a long time,’’ said Hansen.
But a long time and a good time, so far. He said he finally decided a week ago to seek reappointment, which was music to Tew’s ears.
‘‘If you’ve got the best coach in world rugby available and still keen and eager and he’s able to satisfy the things that drive him then, yeah, it was a very easy decision,’’ said Tew.
Hansen needed to be satisfied that his family were happy for him to continue, that the team were as well and that he could continue to improve as a coach. It was after the 2015 World Cup final that he came closest to thinking he might be done.
‘‘You often get asked: why would you go back when you’ve climbed the mountain?
And the simple answer, as I had more time to think about it, was actually I don’t know if we have climbed the highest mountain,’’ he said.