Steve Hansen. Photo / Getty Images
Steve Hansen was quite happy for everyone to have him all wrong when he was elevated to the All Blacks head coaching role after the World Cup.
His life has been made that much easier by having so many people underestimate him and fail to grasp that there is depth, complexity and real skill in the way he operates.
There is no one reason why the All Blacks have been so consistent - they have lost once in 33 tests - under Hansen. But central to their success has been a culture of inclusiveness that has allowed new players to settle quickly, older players to have their say and for everyone to have a better handle on when to relax and when to be switched on.
The players are genuinely content in each other's company. They are a squad without friction, without secret dissenters pulling in the wrong direction and their collective belief in what they stand for was obvious in Sydney this year and Dublin last when they found a way to hang in there.
Hansen has been integral in creating this culture. Other coaches have tried, but not quite been able to manage the egos and ambitions of all their players. What marks this All Black side as different is the way players react to not being selected.
Israel Dagg was broken up inside to miss out on playing in the Bledisloe Cup tests. He could have sulked, he could have been disruptive.
He didn't sulk and wasn't a problem, though. "It was tough to not be selected but I just tried to keep my head down [and train hard] and when we are not playing, we have to help the other guys prepare for the test match. That was my role."
What helped Dagg retain the faith he'd be back was his absolute trust in Hansen. The coach had assured Dagg that his time would come - that an opportunity would open up.
Hansen was all positive reinforcement - clear in his public communication that Dagg hadn't been playing poorly, that he and the management team felt the Crusaders fullback wasn't so far off capturing his best form. Tonight will provide the evidence of whether Hansen was right: whether putting a big arm around Dagg was the best approach.
History says he will be. History says Hansen has been instinctively brilliant at knowing the tools to use to motivate his charges.
While Dagg was gently encouraged into the team, Auckland prop Charlie Faumuina was quite forcefully booted out of it. "I don't think he's fit enough for a start," said Hansen. "And he's not scrummaging well enough. That's enough."
A similarly blunt assessment was made of Steven Luatua earlier this year and the old school approach worked superbly. Challenged to show how much he wanted to be an All Black, Luatua responded with quality performances for the Blues.
It easy to forget that this time two years ago, Hansen surprised everyone by dropping Sam Whitelock. Brodie Retallick was given the start alongside Luke Romano against Argentina in Wellington and it was a decision that could easily have been explained as a need to manage workloads. But no, Hansen was clear about the reason: "I think Brodie is playing better than Sam at the moment."
Whitelock was told he was guilty of playing at just one pace and that public jolt has projected him to his current place as, arguably, the best aerial lock in the world game.
Long-serving All Black manager Darren Shand says he's never known a coach with such a gift to read his players and to intuitively grasp how they are tracking emotionally. He's never known a coach so astutely assess what method of management will be most effective for the individual concerned.
Hansen is cuddly when he feels he has to be, prickly with others and rarely, if ever, gets it wrong.
After the 12-all draw in Sydney, the All Black pack were verbally prodded by Hansen all week leading into the Eden Park clash. The failure in Sydney had not been in their technical and tactical approach so much - but their psychological lethargy. They had been reactive, timid and had let themselves be dominated by the Wallabies.
Hansen let them know.
"There were little messages throughout the week," says Dane Coles. "He was fairly blunt - straight to the point. No beating about the bush with Shag [Hansen]. There were a couple of swear words thrown in there and you know when he's in that mood you have to listen."
Hansen is both good cop and bad; he uses both carrot and stick and his influence on the team is significant.
His role this week has been to mostly educate his players about the strengths and weaknesses of Argentina and drum into them that they are a side with considerable ability.
Hansen wants the onus to back up a great performance with another to be on the players - for them to be able to deliver the same quality they did in Auckland without having a rocket fired up them.