Opinion - Steve Hansen looked like he had a weight taken off his shoulders when he announced he was ending his All Blacks coaching career, writes Jamie Wall
"I am a totally different man to when I first started coaching," said Steve Hansen. Photo: Photosport
You could tell straight away what Steve Hansen was going to say to the huge group of assembled media at the Auckland's Heritage Hotel on Friday morning. He strode into the room wearing a plain shirt. It was the first time I could remember in the last two seasons that he fronted the cameras without an All Blacks branded suit or tracksuit jacket.
It was jarring. He didn't look like the man some of us had been following around New Zealand and the rest of the rugby world for the previous six months. Hansen is a constant fixture in every major announcement to do with the team, whether it's naming the match day 23 or breaking injury news. Now though, he was sitting in front of us having shed the skin of his role as one of the most powerful people in the country, appearing like any other middle-aged New Zealand bloke.
Hansen looked relaxed. He got straight into it, saying he was stepping down after next year's World Cup, then spent 20 or so minutes dead-batting any questions about what everyone really wanted to know - what will happen next.
He did give a rare glimpse into his life outside of rugby, saying that the decision was heavily influenced by his desire to spend more time with his family. In years gone by an All Black player or coach saying that he consulted with his 'big boss' would be seen as a punch-line, however it was touchingly clear that he wanted to pay tribute to his wife Tash in an honest and meaningful way.
The likelihood of Hansen giving away the role in a year's time was always pretty high, he would've had the job for eight years and really there's nothing he hasn't achieved.
Flanked by NZ Rugby CEO Steve Tew and Chairman Brent Impey, the trio combined to give absolutely nothing away about who their preferred candidate for the job was as rugby enters its new dawn in 2020. There's plenty of speculation that it will simply be a shift of seats for assistant Ian Foster, and that Hansen will stay on in a 'Director of Rugby' role that will essentially still give him control of the All Blacks from afar.
However, after spending the season and a particularly gruelling end of year tour with the team, I reckon that Hansen will most likely step away from the game altogether.
The trip to Tokyo, London, Dublin and Rome was an eventful one. The fallout from the loss to the Irish was a typically over the top New Zealand response to a game that essentially means nothing in the grand scheme of things, and the following week in the lead up to Italy was simply a series of post mortems that left most people more jaded than anything else.
Hansen was definitely one of those people, and you could see it all over his face and demeanour. Coupled with his ill-judged remark earlier in the season regarding government funding for All Black player retention, and it's easy to surmise that he's not going to look back on 2018 with quite the same fondness as other seasons.
It's been a long time since he first picked up the reins as head coach in 2012, and even longer since he became Sir Graham Henry's assistant in 2004. Since then, the All Blacks have gone from being mythically invincible to almost completely impregnable. Hansen has guided them to what was, in hindsight, a devastating World Cup win in 2015.
Arguably the even more impressive feat was rebounding from the loss of so many senior players in the aftermath of the tournament to record a successful season the year after.
Add in the 100% win season in 2013, memorable wins at Ellis Park, and continuing on the All Black tradition of playing the most attractive and effective rugby in the world. The only real blemish on the record is the drawn series against the British & Irish Lions last year, but history will most probably judge that touring side to be a far greater opponent than most NZ fans have ever given them credit for.
Just to put Hansen's achievements in perspective, Michael Cheika's Wallabies have lost more tests this season than the All Blacks have in Hansen's entire career. So whatever happens next regarding the upcoming job vacancy, whoever steps in will have some big shoes to fill.
Steve Hansen's record as All Blacks' head coach: Played 96, won 85, drawn 3, lost 8. Second to none.
— Peter Jackson (@JackoRugby) December 13, 2018
Steve Hansen point blank refused to talk about his memories and achievements, which was a final reminder that he will be around for another year yet. It's not just any year, either - 2019 could see the All Blacks claim their third consecutive World Cup. If Hansen can make that happen, that achievement will most definitely be top of the list.
