Rugby World Cup 2023: Sir Steve Hansen says All Blacks squad should be stronger than 2019

The All Blacks needed a late surge to beat the Wallabies. Photo / Getty Images

Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Steve Hansen says the All Blacks look set to have a stronger squad for the World Cup in France than the one he took to the last tournament in 2019.

Ian Foster will name his 33-man squad at 5pm in Napier today to take to the tournament in France starting September 9. The All Blacks remain unbeaten in 2023 following Saturday’s 23-20 comeback victory over the Wallabies in Dunedin. The win came on the back of a successful Rugby Championship campaign where Foster continued to pick his strongest side throughout the three games to start the season.

“They’re playing well. They’ve got a lot of self-belief and you saw that on Saturday when they come from behind, with what was a very young team on the park, and they found a way to win it. I think all systems are go,” Hansen told Newstalk ZB.

“They’ve set out a plan that they wanted to win the Rugby Championship and to get some confidence in the team after last year. So they went about that and won every test match. They secured the Bledisoe Cup and that allowed them to experiment. So you can’t knock their plan. I think it’s been outstanding.”

Hansen said there is plenty of depth to choose from and believes the All Blacks will be taking a stronger squad than he had in 2019, when they finished third

“I think they played well. So this comes down now as selectors. How can they get the 33 people that suit tournament rugby? The World Cup is not like a normal tour. There’s certain restrictions that you can and can’t do and you can’t just up and replace people. So you’ve got to have a bit of utility in your squad.

“Everybody’s put their hand up and now it’s just a matter of the selectors sorting out what they want and there will be some really good players miss out, which is tough but bodes well for the team itself. I think they’ll end up selecting a side that’s stronger than 2019 that we took to the last World Cup.

“They’re going to go there with a lot of confidence and with a lot of players in form, whoever is the 34th guy is gonna be pretty unlucky,” Hansen said.

The main difference compared to four years ago is the front row options.

Hansen says the All Blacks' locking stocks are in good shape, including the form of Scott Barrett. Photo / Photosport

“Some players will pick themselves but when you come to having to pick a squad of 33 every position will have someone who’s really, worthy of taking, who’s gonna miss out. That’s how much depth I think we’ve got at the moment.

“I think back to the last World Cup I was concerned about our front row, this front row they’re gonna pick this year is going to be outstanding. It’s a big improvement from where we were. We’re more mobile, we’re more skilled with ball in hand, better ball carriers. And there’s plenty of them.

“[In the locks] We’ve got Brodie and Sam and Barrett playing very well, but then you’ve got a number of people putting their hands up in behind them. So there’s a lot of depth, same in the loose forwards, same at halfback. Someone good will miss out. And so there’s a lot of players queuing up for positions, the wings gonna be tough, the back three is going to be tough.

“I think there’s not one position where it’s not going to be tough as every position is.”

Hansen picked Brodie Retallick for the 2019 World Cup after he dislocated his shoulder during the Rugby Championship and the All Blacks veteran will go into another World Cup under an injury cloud. Retallick may be sidelined for four to six weeks – a timeframe that threatens his involvement in the All Blacks’ first two pool matches against France and Namibia, and the warm-up test against the Springboks at Twickenham.

“They’ll just look at how long the injury is and then they’ll weigh up, from that point with the risk of taking someone is worth it. If it’s a short-term injury and it’s Brodie Retallick then the risk will be worth it, I would imagine,” Hansen said.