All Blacks: Hansen - 'we have total respect for Namibia'

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen is looking for steady improvement against a Namibian side he says the New Zealanders will respect. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says his team have "total respect" for Namibia, a nation ranked 20 places below them, and has called their captain Jacques Burger a "special player".

Burger, the Saracens flanker, is one of the few full-time professionals in Namibia's squad and Hansen has warned his side that the 32-year-old has the ability to knock them about.

"He's a pretty special player. I think last time he was in the top five [ranked players at the World Cup] so to be able to do that in a team that isn't always going forward, as a loose forward, you've got to be pretty good," Hansen said.

"He's totally committed, so if you're going to be in his part of the park and you're carrying the ball you've got to be ready to get smashed."

In the final press conference before tomorrow's match at London's Olympic Stadium, Hansen said it was important the All Blacks focused on improving their performance from a few days ago against Argentina at Wembley Stadium.

"Each team has to prepare in its own way. One of the things we pride ourselves on is trying to improve our performance from the previous one. We put a line in the sand as far as the World Cup goes against Argentina and the group going out on Thursday have to change that line to a higher performance level.

"We'll give Namibia total respect because that's what they deserve as another playing nation."

Asked how the form of this team could be weighed compared with the one which fought out a 26-16 victory over the Pumas, Hansen said: "It is difficult when you're playing different opposition I guess - if the quality of the opposition isn't equal then it becomes very difficult. But we can't just assume that Namibia are going to lie down because they won't."

A record score is a possibility - Marc Ellis scored six tries for the All Blacks in a 145-17 thrashing of Japan in the 1995 World Cup - but Hansen said the game had moved on since those days, adding: "If someone's going out there thinking about getting records I'd say he's in the wrong mental state in today's game."

- By Patrick McKendry in London