Rugby: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen clashes verbally with Irish media after 'dirty side' inference

New All Blacks second five-eighths Anton Lienert-Brown and coach Steve Hansen during their press conference in Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has clashed verbally with an Irish television interviewer after taking offence at her inference New Zealand are a "dirty side".

Hansen bristled during a sideline interview with Irish television's Claire McNamara at Dublin's Aviva Stadium following New Zealand's 21-9 win.

McNamara quizzed Hansen about the high penalty count against the All Blacks.

He replied: "You always want the ref to be consistent so let's leave it at that."

But McNamara pressed further, asking if there was a dangerous element to some of the tackles.

Hansen said: "I don't think so, this is a moving game. The first one where we got penalised was a head clash.

"The one on the far side was obviously a little high and across the shoulder but I don't think there was any malice in it.

"Rugby is a shifting game when you've got ball carriers that move as well as the Irish do, they are going to change direction so people are going to sometime make mistakes and sometime people fall into tackles.

"The penalty count concerns me."

But McNamara kept coming at him and Hansen reacted when he was pushed on the subject again.

"I'm not sure where you're going with this, do you want me to tell you we're a dirty side or something? Is that what you're saying?".

The response from McNamara was 'no' and he added: "Well, do you want to talk about something else now?".