Sir Steve Hansen: Springboks have embraced an ‘us against the world mentality’ and it makes them ‘dangerous’
Springboks huddle and an inset of Sir Steve Hansen
The Springboks have a mentality that everyone is out to get them, and it works for Rassie Erasmus’ men, according to ex-All Blacks boss Sir Steve Hansen.
The back-to-back world champions enter Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against New Zealand on top of World Rugby’s rankings, having enjoyed a dominant run of results over the last few years.
Sir Steve Hansen: Why the Springboks have been dominant
While Hansen says that South Africa deserve their top seeding, he believes that it is partly due to the All Blacks’ struggles in recent seasons too.
“South Africans have been so dominant and have earned the reputation of being the number one side in the world for all the right reasons, and the All Blacks are playing some really good footy and are number two. So it’s always a great contest between the two countries, especially over there,” he said on DSPN with Martin Devlin ahead of the first Test between the Springboks and All Blacks.
“I think it’s not only the fact that they’re in that position. They’ve stayed in that position for some time. To stay there, you definitely have to earn it. There’s no doubt about that.”
Asked how and why the Springboks have been so dominant, Hansen says that Rassie Erasmus is benefiting from the depth he has built in the squad. He also hailed the Bok coach for successfully uniting the players.
“There are a few reasons. One is out of their control; I don’t think we’ve been as good as we could have possibly been in the last few years, but I think we’ve turned that around,” the former All Blacks head coach said.
“They’ve been smart too about what they’re doing. They are a country that has a massive history of division, and Rassie and his crew have used rugby to try and bring the country together and give them a cause to play for. They play for more than just themselves, which makes them dangerous. They’re extremely talented, obviously very coachable, and they’re smart.
“They’ve developed a lot of depth, so injuries aren’t a problem. They have a strong bench, so there are a number of reasons.”
Playing for a greater cause
Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi have repeatedly explained that the Springboks play for a greater cause than just winning a Test match, as they aim to unite South Africa.
That added motivation makes a big difference, according to Hansen, who believes that it gives the team a sense of belonging, which is a powerful tool in international rugby.
“Anything at this level that makes a difference is important because if you get down to it, most teams are the same size, with talent spread across the team,” he explained.
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“They’ve all got the same or thereabouts equality as far as that goes, so if you can find something that brings you together… it’s the connections that make you want to play for each other, want to play for the jersey, want to play for your country; that makes you even stronger.
“They’ve definitely got a cause; there’s no doubt about that. You can see it with some of the stuff that they do on their Instagram.
“Rassie is a smart man; he doesn’t do too many things without knowing the consequences of them, and there’s a purpose. It’s a us against the rest of the world type mentality. I always found that if you can create a team that has a sense of belonging to each other and then an outside belonging, you become very strong.”
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