Hansen mocks ‘Mickey Mouse’ Wallabies rival

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has reportedly kicked off his World Cup sledging campaign early by likening underfire Wallabies mentor Michael Cheika to Mickey Mouse.

Hansen also said the Wallabies coach was vulnerable to mind games because he had trouble controlling his emotions, news website Stuff reported.

Stuff said Hansen made the remarks after being questioned about Australian great Mark Ella’s comment in 2016 that “Mickey Mouse could coach the All Blacks to victory” given the quality of NZ’s players.

“They’ve got Mickey Mouse coaching Aussie,” Hansen told a ticket-only charity function in Wellington on Monday night. Hansen said it is possible to distract Cheika by using niggling ploys such as refusing to use his name before matches.

“The plan was not to call him by his name but just say he’s the Australian coach. Then he went on a tirade about not respecting him,” Hansen said.

“I guess what we’re trying to do there is take his mind off the job and while I say he’s not a bad bloke, he’s got to control his emotions. I think he’s got a good side, he does a good job of the coaching, but sometimes he just lets himself down there.”

Hansen claimed he had a psychological edge over Warren Gatland when his fellow Kiwi coached the British and Irish Lions in 2017. But he said he backed off when a New Zealand newspaper went too far and published a cartoon of Gatland as a clown.

Gatland managed to get under Hansen’s skin during that drawn series when he accused the New Zealanders of dangerous play, prompting the All Blacks boss to make an angry phone call to talk radio defending his tactics.

Hansen reportedly revealed he took a less abrasive approach with England’s Eddie Jones “he likes to be praised, so we praise him”.

2016

was the year Australian great Mark Ella said Mickey Mouse could coach the All Blacks