Sir Steve Hansen claims All Blacks have made ‘deliberate ploy’ to charm South Africans amid backlash to Cape Town fans
All Blacks fans in Cape Town and former New Zealand head coach Sir Steve Hansen.
All Blacks legend Sir Steve Hansen believes that Dave Rennie’s men have purposefully gone on the charm offensive in the early part of their South African tour.
New Zealand recently arrived in the Republic ahead of their series against the Springboks where they will face the world champions three times before heading to the USA for the fourth Test.
Rennie’s outfit will also face each of the four biggest South African franchises over the next month with the Stormers their first opponents on Friday.
They have therefore based themselves in Cape Town for the first week and they were greeted by a significant number of fans at DHL Stadium.
Cape Town controversy
A video captured by Planet Rugby showed South Africans donning All Blacks jerseys, which received a backlash on social media by the Boks supporters.
“It’s always been a place where the All Blacks have been loved. They were the number one team for the people of colour for a long time,” Hansen told the Rugby Unity podcast.
“I think there’s a lot more unity behind South Africa, they’ve done a really good job bringing the country together as one, but they’re [All Blacks] still a team that’s remembered for what they have done and are well loved, so it’s good to see.
“I also think there’s a deliberate ploy by the All Blacks to make sure that they behave in a manner that’s respectful and encourage fans to actually get in behind them.
“You’ve got a combo there of a team wanting to be seen to be doing the right thing and the fans who actually love them, so there’s a lot of excitement about this tour and it’s been a long time since they’ve had something like this, other than maybe the [British and Irish] Lions.
“Outside of that, there hasn’t been a lot of touring going on so looking forward to seeing how it goes.”
🇳🇿 What a welcome for the All Blacks at DHL Stadium in Cape Town! pic.twitter.com/ZbkEquw997
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 31, 2026
Hansen was joined on the show by former Wallabies star Ewen McKenzie, who was part of the Australia side that became the second team – after the All Blacks – to face the Springboks post-apartheid.
Respect between Springboks and All Blacks ‘unparalleled’
“I don’t think we’ve had a bad experience in Cape Town. There’s always been specific incidents but I’m talking about generally from a rugby perspective, the support and enthusiasm has been there across the board – it’s been there from day one,” McKenzie said.
“We were there in ’92 and that was a bit of a litmus test to see where everyone was. We were the incumbent World Cup holders at the time and it was a very enthusiastic crowd from a country in transition.
“A lot has happened since then but in Cape Town in particular, the rugby has been very well supported and the teams have been very well received.
“There are always the people when you’re around the ground and outside the stadium, the old stadium I’m talking about, they’re patting you on the back and having photos with you and telling you you’re going to lose, but that just goes with the territory.
“We’ve been well received there as Wallabies as well but, as Steve says, the All Blacks have always been the second team… and the respect between those two countries is unparalleled.”
