Tag Archives: all black coach steve hansen

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen has fired significant shots at Warren Gatland after the former Lions coach recently stated that he hated the summer’s tour. Speaking last week, Gatland was asked if he would consider coaching the Lions in 2021 and immediately stated that he was done with the Lions and that he would never ‘subject’ himself to another tour. …

The All Blacks machine changed up a few gears and ran over the Springboks in North Harbour with a record 57-0 hiding.  So now that the smoke has cleared and we can talk again, what is there to say about this incredible result? 1. Have the All Blacks found their back three for the 2019 World Cup? Damian McKenzie, Rieko …

Among his effusive praise for the All Blacks, Springbok coach Allister Coetzee noted that the world champions are, at present, ‘vulnerable’ despite winning their first three Rugby Championship matches. So, where are the All Black weaknesses the Springboks will seek to exploit this Saturday? 1. A weakened front row After a seemingly endless sequence of Tests with Joe Moody and …

The spluttering All Black machine exploded into gear at about the 50-minute mark against Argentina thanks to its newest freak of nature, Vaea Fifita.   From that point on, the All Blacks swept aside the brave Argentinians who had actually led by seven points just after half-time. So, what questions are in our minds after the 39-22 victory? ________ 5. Will …

Steve Hansen has named an exciting All Black squad to face Argentina on Saturday which sees the return of one of the stars of the 2015 World Cup. Hansen has characterised the game as one of ‘taking opportunities.’ Here are five talking points which might give an insight into what the master coach will be looking for against the Pumas. …

As the dust settles after a titanic battle at Eden Park, leaving the series locked in a stalemate, we ask: which Lions and All Black players enhanced their reputations during the tough New Zealand tour? We take a look at the performances of the Test players on each side in the drawn series. ______ Lions Stock Rising: Jonathan Davies Deservedly …

The first two Tests of the Lions tour of New Zealand have been decided by the team that asserted physical dominance, and the decider is unlikely to be any different. While many have rushed to describe Steve Hansen’s back-line selection as bold and daring, it is in fact nothing of the sort. He has simply identified a clear way for …

After a pulsating first Test in which the All Blacks out-Warrenballed the Lions 30-15, will we see any changes in tactics employed by coaches Warren Gatland and Steve Hansen for the second Test in Wellington? Will Gatland drop his captain, Peter O’Mahony? How will the All Blacks approach the game tactically? Here are the five biggest questions which need answers …

Legendary All Black no. 8 Zinzan Brooke has predicted that the first test at Eden Park will be a tight, tension-filled game and that the team that emerges victorious will go on to take the series. In an article for AllBlacks.com, Zinzan Brooke urges the Lions to seize the moment as it will be “the closest they’ll get to the …

Sir Clive Woodward is ‘quietly confident’ that the Lions will be ‘smiling’ following Saturday’s first test against the All Blacks at Eden Park. Woodward says that an All Blacks loss could signal that his perceived ‘sea change’ occurring in international rugby toward Northern Hemisphere dominance is complete. Woodward, who is flying to New Zealand to take up commentary duties, says …

The Lions dominant win against New Zealand’s leading Super Rugby side the Crusaders has led to an admission of nervousness and a rare apology from one of New Zealand’s most critical writers Chris Rattue, who has now targeted the All Blacks’ ‘frailties’ leading into the first Test. Rattue, who writes for the New Zealand Herald, gave Warren Gatland a rather …

After the Crusaders got suffocated by the Lions whose strategic play was a mix of roar and snore, could the same thing happen to the All Blacks? We select a test side of 23 players who will be tasked with cracking the Lions defensive code in the Tes series. Here is our All Blacks Test squad – and the threat …

Two games into the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand and fans are trying to make sense of two below par performances from the tourists. The comments from All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen overnight are not going to help. Earlier this week Hansen had insisted that he believes the current Lions squad is one of the …