Hansen hails his team’s character
COACH: THEY DUG IN DEEP AND REFUSED TO GIVE UP
For Rassie’s Boks it was an opportunity lost in a superb Test.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said their incredible comeback win over the Springboks in Pretoria at the weekend was due to their character and belief that they could still triumph despite being outplayed for most of the game.
Hansen made a point of praising the Springboks for their performance, which saw the home side first run up a 30-13 lead before going into the last 10 minutes 30-18 up. New Zealand scored tries in the 76th and 79th minutes to snatch a thrilling 32-30 victory.
“I’m very proud of their character because a couple of weeks ago they did not manage a similar situation so well, but they’ll take a lot of pleasure out of how they did it tonight. They dug in deep and refused to give up. The Springboks played incredibly well and were probably unlucky not to win, like we were in Wellington, but they’ve been two wonderful Test matches.
“We didn’t have momentum for close to the full 80 minutes and South Africa were in control for a long time, but the players just kept believing their turn would come.
“For long periods we did not have the ball and we had to defend very well. For young players who have not been in the situation of being far behind, they’ll understand now to never stop believing,” Hansen said.
Hansen also defended the substitutions made by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.
“We went to our bench really early, replacing both props and a lock after 45 minutes when we usually wait 55 minutes, and the bench did what we asked, they provided energy. The bench is your trump card and both teams had good benches. Rassie could afford to go deep with his starting XV but you’ve got to play your bench at some point. You can’t play everyone for 80 minutes, they’ll run out of petrol.
“We could not get the job done in Wellington and tonight the Springboks did not get it done. These are the sort of big lessons you cannot buy. For our boys, it’s about self-belief and to keep knocking on the door, and this victory will feed our group. For South Africa, it’s learning you can’t stop playing and you can’t give an inch,” Hansen said.