Bok coach is playing mind games - Hansen

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen (right) has dismissed a defeatist comment by South Africa counterpart Allister Coetzee as “reverse psychology” ahead of a Rugby Championship clash this weekend.

Speaking after a 27-27 draw with Australia last weekend, Coetzee said those who believe his inexperienced Springboks can easily topple the All Blacks “is living in a fool’s paradise”.

Coetzee has suffered three humiliating losses to New Zealand since he replaced Heyneke Meyer in 2015 – 41-13 in Christchurch, 57-15 in Durban and 57-0 in Auck- land.

The Auckland annihilation last month was the heaviest defeat suffered by the Springboks in their 126-year history.

“It is reverse psychology,” insisted Hansen in Cape Town, where the teams meet on Saturday before a sell-out 52 000 crowd at Newlands.

“Believe it if you (the media) want to, but we will not be,” stressed the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning coach.

“You have got to understand what Allister is up to with that comment – he is psyching his own team up.”

Hansen watched on TV the stalemate between South Africa and Australia in Bloemfontein and believed the home side could have won.

“I thought they (South Africa) were pretty dangerous and had they just been more accurate at times, they would have scored some more points.”

Hansen believes New Zealand were flattered by the 57-point triumph in which the reigning world champions scored eight tries.

“The fact that the score got away probably was not a true reflection. We were pretty fortunate. Every opportunity we creat- ed, we took.”

The 57-year-old former policeman said winning the Rugby Championship last weekend for the fifth time in six attempts in no way diminished the significance of the Cape Town Test.

“You know the All Blacks and you know that they are under pressure all the time to win and win well. Winning the title does not change anything.

“The fact that we have won the Championship is obviously pleasing, but we are playing against the old foe with a lot of history and we have a lot of respect for them.” – AFP