Sir Steve Hansen: The ‘critical’ thing the All Blacks must get right in South Africa as the players have to be ‘uncomfortable’
All Blacks players during Ireland Test and former head coach Sir Steve Hansen.
All Blacks’ legendary coach Sir Steve Hansen believes that it will be more difficult to prevent cliques from emerging when they tour South Africa next month.
New Zealand will take a larger group to the Republic ahead of their four-Test series against the Springboks, which means there will be added challenges for new head coach Dave Rennie.
The All Blacks boss will select a 44-man squad next Monday, 10 more than they named for their Nations Championship campaign.
As a result, that creates extra logistical issues and potentially makes it tougher for the squad to gel, especially when there will be midweek matches.
Akin to a Lions tour
Like British and Irish Lions tours, there will be a distinction between the likely Test team and those that will feature in the Tuesday tour games, so it is important that everyone buys in and creates a positive environment.
“The other thing I think will be critical is how they keep their connections and their relationships, so they overcome the problem of two buses and the us and the them because it has to be about the team,” Hansen told the Rugby Unity podcast.
“Whether you’ve got three people or 300, it’s always got to be about the team. Those connections and relationships have got to be spot on, and you’ve got to do a little bit extra.
“The more you have, the more you have to do, so getting those things right will be important.
“The general awareness of it is the starting point, identifying that this is something we want to be, and then you create it amongst the coaching staff, but you create it amongst the team and the team leaders have to drive a lot of it.
“How are we going to have connections? We can’t have little Hurricanes pods, we’re the All Blacks, we have to be a team that embraces everybody into it.”
The mental skills coach who could be vital
Hansen believes the onus is on the experienced players to take the lead and make it a welcoming environment for the rookies, while the former All Blacks boss also reckons that Gilbert Enoka will play an important role.
Enoka has rejoined the team under Rennie as their leadership and mental performance coach having been credited with playing a big role in their back-to-back world triumphs in 2011 and 2015.
“One of the jobs is the older guys have to make it comfortable for the younger people. You’ve been around long enough, you’ve been in the team, you understand how we work, so don’t make it difficult for the new guy,” Hansen said.
“This is where Gilbert’s wonderful. He’ll give somebody who might struggle with that sort of thing, ‘here’s three or four questions, go and have a chat to them’.
“Make sure you don’t sit at the same dinner table all the time, don’t do the things that are easy, make yourself uncomfortable, and it’s the senior guys that have got to be uncomfortable.”
