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<\/a> <\/p>\nBoth Sir Steve Hansen and Eddie Jones have arrived at the same conclusion when predicting the four-Test section of the Rugby\u2019s Greatest Rivalry Tour, with both coaches expecting a series too tight to call.<\/p>\n
The extended nature of the series leaves the door open for a 2-2 finish, but details of the official tiebreaker scenarios are yet to be confirmed.<\/p>\n
Hansen, the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning All Blacks<\/a> coach, and Jones, the man who ended his title defence campaign in a famous 2019 semi-final while in charge of England, were asked for their verdicts on the Rugby Unity podcast, with Hansen pondering: \u201cFour Tests, probably two-all.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones was revealed to be of the same thinking by podcast host David Pembroke.<\/p>\n Without elaborating on his reasoning behind the prediction, Hansen said he was looking forward to what the series would reveal about both national teams, which currently occupy the top two places in the World Rugby rankings.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be fantastic to sit back and watch it, because they are contrasting styles,\u201d Hansen said on the podcast. \u201cAnd we\u2019ll learn a little bit more about the All Black team and about the South Africans as well, because they\u2019re going to have to front up against each other four times. So what style is actually making the better progress?\u201d<\/p>\n Current All Blacks coach Dave Rennie is the third man to hold office since Hansen left his post, which he did after coming up short in 2019. Both intervening figures, Ian Foster and Scott Robertson, endured rocky tenures with the team.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in South Africa, Hansen\u2019s exit coincided with the beginning of one of the most fruitful eras in the nation\u2019s rugby history; an era that persists heading into this historic seven-week tour.<\/p>\n Another ex-Wallabies head coach, Ewen McKenzie, chimed in to agree with Hansen and Jones\u2019 series prediction, adding that he saw there being a greater chance the All Blacks could pull a rabbit out of the hat, while South Africa<\/a> are likely to stick to their tried-and-true formula for success.<\/p>\n