Hansen worried, says Lions coach
A CONFIDENT British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland celebrated the convincing win over the Maori All Blacks by claiming it was Steve Hansen who was worried a week before the first test.
All Blacks coach Hansen has been firing barbs at Gatland, accusing him of having only one style of play, claiming inside knowledge of the Lions reinforcements and saying New Zealand’s thumping 78-0 win over Samoa on Friday was just the start.
After biting his tongue for a week, Gatland fired back after the Lions overcame early tour difficulties to look sharp and well drilled as they outplayed the Maori All Blacks 32-10 in Rotorua on Saturday.
“He is a little bit more worried than he normally is, saying these comments about us, things he knows or doesn’t know about. That is normally a sign of a man who is a little bit worried,” Gatland said of Hansen.
“It’s unlike Steve and maybe he is worried by potentially how good this team can be.”
The Kiwi-born Wales coach also defended the harmony in the Lions bulging squad, dismissing Hansen’s allegation that they had split into a likely test lineup and the rest.
“There is no way we are divided into two,” he said.
“The harmony, and the boys singing in the changing rooms and what it means to them in terms of the whole squad, we’re very, very close.
“If Steve Hansen knows what’s going on from outside, then he’s a much better man than I am.” Gatland dismissed mid-week losses to the Auckland and Blues and Otago Highlanders as part of a learning process towards winning the series, starting with the first test in Auckland on Saturday.