Hansen shuts down the fly-half debate
The two squads are due out on Thursday, just two days before the first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry between the Springboks and the All Blacks on Saturday at Ellis Park. Dave Rennie has already left Richie Mo’unga out of the group for this one. Sir Steve Hansen, who guided New Zealand to the 2015 world title, is not losing sleep over it.
“A year ago there was full-blown panic at fly-half and everyone wanted Richie back. But Ruben Love has been outstanding, and I can’t see Richie taking his spot any time soon unless there is an injury,” the former head coach told Martin Devlin’s DSPN show.
Mo’unga’s return home is therefore not being read as a hierarchy problem, but as another layer of competition. Damian McKenzie, Josh Jacomb and Beauden Barrett are still in the mix for the same role.
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A squad depth chart that does not come around often
Hansen extends the same view to the forwards. In the second row, Fabian Holland’s return adds to Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa’i, Sam Darry and Josh Lord. “They would all start in any Test side,” he says.
He sees the same picture in the back row and in the midfield, where several players are still outside the group despite their level. “Talent is not our issue. It is about time spent together,” says the former All Blacks boss, who believes the side is growing sharper as Rennie’s game plan beds in.
Three battles to win at Ellis Park
Asked how he would pick the team, Hansen pointed to three key areas. First, the scrum, where he wants more weight. “No point sending out a 250-kilo pack against a 350-kilo pack. They will eat you alive.”
Then the lineout, which he sees as New Zealand’s best chance of punching a hole through, even if that means Rennie goes with three second-rowers on the pitch. Finally, the aerial battle, with South Africa almost certain to go long and keep banging away.
He also wants two things from the backs: a scrum-half who can clear quickly to keep the pace high, and decision-makers in the midfield to take some of the pressure off the fly-half. We will soon see how many of those boxes Rennie ticks.
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