All Blacks: Hansen's prospects on ice until after Rugby World Cup

All Black assistant coach Steve Hansen will not speculate on who will be the next coach until after the World Cup final on Sunday. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Rugby World Cup victory and the next All Black coach are subjects occupying the nation's rugby interests.

Some believe the result of Sunday's final against France will have some bearing on the next All Black coach.

It's been suggested an All Black victory will encourage Graham Henry to stay on for a year or two, perhaps in a new guise as director of rugby to pass on his wisdom to those underneath like promoted coach Steve Hansen.

There is also the view that Henry will step down and Hansen will get the top job with a couple of new sidekicks.

Or if the big show at Eden Park goes pear-shaped, they will all get the bullet, the NZRU will revise its coaching criteria and open the job up to anyone around the globe.

Whatever the theories, Hansen yesterday steered away from any chat about the topic and claimed he had not discussed it with Henry.

If the All Blacks won and he was sober on Monday, he'd take questions on the subject of succession then.

Four years ago, the All Blacks had been knocked out of the World Cup in a quarter-final and last weekend they earned the right to meet France in the final. That match was their sole focus.

"All I'm planning for at the moment is to win a game on Sunday night," said Hansen. "Yeah, you have long-term goals, but you also have to have narrow short-term goals and right now the narrow short-term ones are the prime focus."

All the concentration was on getting the All Blacks to play well - and they would need to against a French side who would be highly motivated to find their first victory in their third shot at claiming rugby's Holy Grail.

When the All Blacks won their pool game 37-17 against France, Les Tricolors' pack did not have Nicolas Mas, William Servat or Imanol Harinordoquy. Their return boosted their experience and would help them cope better with the pressure, Hansen said. They also brought more versatility to the lineout, improved the scrum and that set-piece solidity would give their backline a better platform.

The All Blacks were playing well and to win the Webb Ellis Cup, a side needed their best experienced players to stand out.

"You can't win it with just one person, hence we weren't in a state of panic when we lost Daniel [Carter]," Hansen said. "As great a player as he is, he wasn't going to win us this World Cup. It is everybody on the track and particularly the senior players standing up and being the best players they can be."

During the tournament, captain Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina had reached their special 100-test marks and while those feats were acknowledged, they had not distracted the squad from their purpose.

"That focus is there, we have got rid of all the other games, we have earned the right to be there and now it is about doing the job," Hansen said.

"What happens after the final whistle will, I guess, be determined by the performance we put in during that 80 minutes and some of the things that are already in place. But we will discuss those when it is the right time."

The side is likely to be unchanged when it is revealed today although loose forward Adam Thomson may get a place on the bench.

When the All Blacks started the tournament against Tonga they were nervous, Hansen said. That game won, they had built on that performance and there was a huge commitment to get a result on Sunday.

"The guys are relaxed which is great, a couple of them yesterday were probably too relaxed."

Hansen would not buy into any debate about the calibre of this All Black side. That was for others to judge.

"I am part of the team so I am not going to say they are a great team. I know that we are a good side and we play good rugby and have good men and there is a good fellowship within the group. Other people will decide whether it is a great team or not."

The final was an occasion to make something special happen. France had earned the same right as the All Blacks to aim for that sporting rainbow.