Sir Steve Hansen believes that you can\u2019t \u2018read too much\u2019 into the All Blacks\u2019 record defeat to the Springboks last year in Wellington.<\/p>\n
Rassie Erasmus\u2019 South Africa were beaten 24-17 when the sides first met at Eden Park last year, but claimed an emphatic 43-10 victory seven days later in the capital city.<\/p>\n
Many viewed the result in Wellington as a turning point in the Springboks<\/a>\u2018 season as they remained unbeaten for the rest of the year, going on to defend their Rugby Championship<\/a> title and secure a clean sweep during their November tour to the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n Saw something different from the All Blacks<\/p>\n However, Hansen<\/a> took more away from how the All Blacks<\/a> performed on the day than how Erasmus\u2019 men did. \u201cNo, I saw something different in the All Blacks [not the Springboks],\u201d he told Martin Devlin on the DSPN podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I saw wasn\u2019t very exciting because it looked like we didn\u2019t have any idea how to play and when you\u2019ve got talent that is doing that, then that\u2019s sad.\u201d<\/p>\n In hindsight, that result was pivotal in the New Zealand Rugby board\u2019s decision to part ways with head coach Scott Robertson, as it was not only a record defeat for the All Blacks but also their second in the Rugby Championship after falling to a 29-23 defeat to Argentina.<\/p>\n Their performances in November were also far from convincing, as they laboured to wins over Ireland and Scotland, lost to England and were made to work hard for a victory over a poor Wales outfit.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get carried away by the scoreline<\/p>\n While Hansen was damning in his review of the loss to South Africa in Wellington, he wasn\u2019t going to get too carried away, pointing to the Boks\u2019 57-0 loss in 2017 and managed to turn things around to win the 2019 World Cup in Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople get carried away by the score a lot of the time. I remember we beat the South Africans 57-0 in North Harbour, they won the next World Cup, didn\u2019t they?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo just forget the scorelines because sometimes there are circumstances that create those scorelines, and the All Blacks had a really average last 30\/40 minutes in that Test in Wellington. Does that mean that it\u2019s going to be the same margin all the time? No, it doesn\u2019t, and sport is not like that. I don\u2019t think you can read too much into that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018I didn\u2019t realise I was captain\u2019 \u2013 Deon Fourie\u2019s Rugby World Cup final revelation and his crucial comment to Wayne Barnes<\/a><\/p>\n The Greatest Rivalry Tour<\/p>\n Still, Hansen gave South Africa their flowers: \u201cAre the Springboks a really good side? Yeah, of course they are. That\u2019s why they\u2019re number one in the world at the moment, and they\u2019re setting the standards, but you can either follow or you can pinch a few ideas and create a few new ones yourself.<\/p>\n \u201cGet your own house in order and say, \u2018Right, we\u2019re up for this challenge\u2019. It\u2019s exciting for the All Blacks, they\u2019re going to go on a tour to South Africa with a big squad, and they\u2019ll learn a lot about themselves. They have got a new coaching regime, which is exciting, and let\u2019s see what happens at the end of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Sir Steve Hansen urges Dave Rennie to pinch \u2018one or two things\u2019 from Springboks but All Blacks shouldn\u2019t \u2018copy\u2019 Rassie Erasmus<\/a><\/p>\n The 2015 World Cup-winning coach is relishing the prospect of his former team\u2019s tour to South Africa, with the two nations enjoying a rich history and rivalry between them.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth Africa is steeped with history; it\u2019s traditionally our strongest foe, they\u2019re a wonderful side at the moment, and they produce a lot of challenges for us to be able to get excited about,\u201d he said of the Rugby\u2019s Greatest Rivalry tour.<\/p>\n