Hansen making down time work for All Blacks
THE All Blacks have attempted to mitigate against the potential physical fallout brought by the cancellation of their pool game against Italy by running themselves ragged on the training pitch; so much so that the numbers they achieved were similar or even better than an average test match.
It was one intriguing piece of information revealed by head coach Steve Hansen, a man on a mission to avoid any headlines which could be construed as disrespectful to Ireland, the All Blacks’ quarterfinal opponent in Tokyo on Saturday.
Hansen was always going to put a positive spin on what has turned out to be a relatively restful weekend for the All Blacks in the wake of the cancellation of last Saturday’s match in Toyota City, due to Typhoon Hagibis, which has resulted in many fatalities across Japan.
The rest, according to Hansen, was earned, however, because on Friday his players were made to work. How, exactly, he would not say, but it was likely to have involved an extended gamelike session between all 31 squad members with each individual’s workloads measured by a GPS device inserted into their jerseys.
‘‘Having a week off is not a bad thing,’’ Hansen said.
‘‘We’re quite excited by that fact. It’s allowed us to work really hard on Friday. Our GPS numbers were the equivalent or just above what a normal test match would be. We don’t feel like we’ve lost any opportunity to get ourselves where we need to be.’’
Asked how that was achieved, Hansen replied: ‘‘I can’t tell you that, otherwise I’d be giving away IP [intellectual property]. I’m not allowed to give away IP — it’s something you’ve got to keep in your back pocket.’’
The All Blacks’ last game was their big win over Namibia on October 6. Their test against the Springboks was on September 21.
But loose forward Sam Cane was in no doubt about how he and his fellow players were placed, physically and mentally.
‘‘Not having a game in the weekend, yeah, we were disappointed to start with but we put in some serious work on Friday; similar to a load we get in a game,’’ he said.
‘‘Physically and mentally we’re in a really good spot. We’re actually fizzing to play rugby — we’re right where we want to be.’’
Hansen has refused to light any fires under the Irish and their Kiwi coach, Joe Schmidt.
‘‘They’re a quality side,’’ he said of Ireland.
‘‘They’ve been No 1 this year. Our last three results have been loss, win, loss so there won’t be any complacency in our camp.
‘‘There’s a lot of respect from both sides. We played them in November and it was a titanic struggle. On that day they were the better side. Most teams we play get up 10% better than they normally do. They’re no different. The big difference here is that it’s a doordie game for both teams."
Asked by an Irish journalist how Ireland, which has never won a World Cup knockout game, was coping with the expectation of being a leading contender, he replied: ‘‘You’ve probably seen them more often than me because you live there. How do you think they’re getting on?’’ ‘‘Not great,’’ was the reply. ‘‘Well, they’re in the quarterfinals so they’re not doing too badly, are they?’’
Asked by a Japanese journalist what the key was for Japan to beat South Africa in their quarterfinal, Hansen said: ‘‘Score more points than the Springboks.’’
There was, however, genuine feeling for the country following the devastating typhoon, and clear respect to how the host team is playing.
Hansen said he was thankful Japan was on the other side of the draw, and he meant it.
‘‘I might add, too, that I’d like to pass on our sympathies to the Japanese people who have lost family members and property and so forth. Having been through a natural disaster myself I know it can be pretty shaky. We’re very supportive of them.’’ — The New Zealand Herald