Hansen extends olive branch to angry rival
Maybe we need to sit down and have a beer together and sort it out. Steve Hansen, after Wallabies coach Michael Cheika’s outburst
All Black coach Steve Hansen extended an olive branch to his transtasman counterpart Michael Cheika yesterday for the good of rugby in Australasia.
“For a long time the relationship with Australia has probably been a little frosty and maybe we need to sit down and have a beer together and sort it out,” Hansen told Australian reporters, describing the Wallabies as a “formidable opponent” and important ally.
“But I think some of it comes down to the fact that the Bledisloe Cup means so much to both teams and when one team’s having a dominant period like we are at the moment, the other team really gets frustrated.
“It’s how you deal with those frustrations and how you handle yourself when you’re winning, I guess, is important.
“This week we’ve tried to play a pretty straight bat and not tried to aggravate anyone. Our media didn’t help with the clown thing but that’s the media. It’s not us.
“But at the same time you’ve got to look at your own history and your own backyard and there’s been plenty of people who’ve had a crack at [former All Black captain Richie] McCaw and so forth.”
Hansen said he had empathy for Cheika.
“I lost 10 tests in a row with Wales and it was tough. Of course you get hurt by it,” he said.
“It’s how you deal with the adversity that’s important.”
Whether Cheika buries the hatchet remains to be seen. He was still stewing when he arrived back at Sydney airport yesterday.
“Why would you let the opposition call your team clowns and mock the jersey? That’s how I feel about it,” he said.
“Maybe others don’t. Maybe that’s not the way. But I’ve never had an Australian jersey so I think it’s something that should be treasured.
“We’re going there for a good contest and I think they [All Blacks] are connected to it [the cartoon] obviously because they are talking about it.
“That’s my opinion and I’m entitled to voice my opinion, right or wrong.”