Steve Hansen sits on the iron throne. But is his grip on rugby's game of thrones slipping? Photo / Photosport
Steve Hansen sits on the iron throne. But is his grip on rugby's game of thrones slipping? Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks’ loss to Ireland exposed chinks in Steve Hansen's armour. Is Hansen's grip on rugby’s game of thrones slipping?
COMMENT
Steve Hansen marched down the tunnel at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin knowing full well that the All Blacks had been beaten by the better team.
Ireland roared out of the blocks from the get-go, putting rugby's perennial number ones on the back foot for most of the test.When the Irish did surrender possession, they seemed to thrive even more as they fired a barrage of bodies at the All Blacks, stifling their usually scintillating running game. Ireland's defence was immovable, like a block of green Night's Watchmen, guarding The Wall with their lives.
Down 16-9 with minutes to go, the All Blacks were gifted one last opportunity to steal a draw. And for a moment, it looked like perhaps this time, the pure force of dragon fire would break down that Irish defensive wall. But when Brodie Retallick dropped the ball after the All Blacks had slowly worked their way inside Ireland's 22 metre line, it was all over. The All Blacks had lost the biggest test of the year. The mythical being had been slayed.
The All Blacks have gotten quite used to winning over the years. So much so, that a loss like this must come with an even more potent sting. Previously in Hansen's reign, regardless of who or where they played, the All Blacks had never really lost their aura of invincibility. When they were upset by the Springboks in Wellington in September, it still felt like the All Blacks had lost it, rather than a South African win. Even when they failed to beat the British and Irish Lions on two occasions last year – a 24-21 loss in Wellington and a 15-15 draw at Eden Park – the All Blacks had questionable officiating to point a finger at, red cards to rue, missed kicks to bemoan. This defeat feels different. The All Blacks were well and truly beaten. Winter is coming – and Hansen is starting to feel the chill.
All Blacks first-five Richie Mo'unga shakes hands with Josh van der Flier of Ireland after the match in Dublin. Photo / Photosport
It was only Hansen's eighth loss since taking over the reins of All Blacks head coach in 2012, a tenure that has been, of late, soundtracked by G.O.A.T. whispers. Hansen has led the All Blacks to an astonishing 88.4 per cent win rate, a World Cup win, and a handful of Rugby Championships and Bledisloe Cups. Some sports fans aren't just calling this current era of All Blacks the greatest team in world rugby, but also one of the greatest teams in the history of sport. But perhaps for the first time in recent memory, the All Blacks might not be the overwhelming favourites going into a World Cup. In fact, if you believe Hansen, they very well may be an underdog.
"What it does do is make them as of now the number one team in the world and I guess that does make them favourites [for the World Cup]," admitted a disappointed Hansen after the match, before continuing to lament the mistakes that cost his team the game. Hansen – along with the rest of the world – had just witnessed an All Blacks side that were exposed by a team who looked fitter, hungrier and (just quietly) better coached.
Even from within New Zealand's All Black myopia, word of Ireland's coaching nous – the creativity and innovation of head coach Joe Schmidt, the brand of suffocating rush defence employed by his assistant Andy Farrell – started making its way Down Under. "You get up and you form a line and you get off it so it's not rocket science but it's everyone understanding and committing to their role and trusting others will do theirs," Schmidt said of the defence that held the All Blacks tryless. On Sunday, we witnessed it work like clockwork.
It's hard to deny that this is an unprecedented moment for Hansen's men. And the pressure might just be getting too much. After the test, Hansen hinted that he might call it quits after next year's World Cup in Japan. "We're all going to be making announcements shortly [about our futures]," Hansen said. "Not right now, no, but I decided before I left I was going to make one and I'll do that when I get home at some stage before Christmas."
Steve Hansen sits on the iron throne. But is his grip on rugby's game of thrones slipping? Photo / Photosport
Being on top of your game for this long must take its toll. The 59-year-old Hansen has been at the helm for almost seven years now. He's quickly closing in on his mentor Sir Graham Henry's record of 103 matches in charge of the nation's top side. But the constant burden of being the mastermind behind perhaps the greatest sports team on the planet must weigh heavily on Hansen's shoulders.
And for the first time in his tenure, we're starting to see the chinks in his armour.
Hansen and his coaching staff suddenly find themselves scrambling for answers, just 10 months out from the World Cup. Outside of injuries and the meteoric rise of young talents like centre Jack Goodhue – the Instagram generation's Conrad Smith – Hansen and the All Blacks selectors have largely stuck with a similar preferred starting XV to that of the Lions tour. But this recent loss has raised questions about the side that seemed to pick itself not long ago.
The All Blacks' battered and bruised nucleus – Beauden Barrett and the playmaking identity crisis in the backline; a weathered leader in Kieran Read who hasn't looked the same since undergoing back surgery; an increasingly brittle Sonny Bill Williams – have come under heavy criticism from the media and fans. Hansen's system, once an overwhelming force, an indecipherable cipher, is now becoming more and more solvable. And the All Blacks only have a handful of tests to figure it all out.
Anything short of winning next year's World Cup will be considered a failure for Hansen, a meticulous coach who has gotten as close to perfection as it gets in professional sport. And as the rugby gods would have it, the All Blacks could easily find themselves meeting Ireland earlier than expected. If the All Blacks fail to win their group – which includes the Springboks – and Ireland win theirs, then the top two sides in the world will face off at the quarter-final stage.
And so with Japan quickly approaching, Hansen and the All Blacks will have limited time to review the tapes, find their best starting XV and prove that the nominal number one spot is still theirs, before, if all goes to plan, they meet Ireland again at the sport's biggest stage.
But for now, they have been dethroned – and there's a new King in the North.
