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All Blacks need to maintain hunger

All Blacks' assistant coach Steve Hansen says it will be down to the individual to ensure the levels of intensity and physicality are replicated in Saturday's second Tri-Nations Test against South African in Wellington this weekend.

Tuesday, 13 July 2010

Sportal.co.nz

All Blacks' assistant coach Steve Hansen says it will be down to the individual to ensure the levels of intensity and physicality are replicated in Saturday's second Tri-Nations Test against South African in Wellington this weekend.

A key motivating factor for the 32-12 triumph at Eden Park were the three losses the All Blacks suffered at the hands of the Springboks in last year's Tri-Nations.

That desire to reverse the trend saw the All Blacks comprehensively outplay their opponents across the park in Auckland in the four-tries-to-none victory.

"It's now about applying pressure to ourselves and to make sure the expectations and the scrutiny and the consequences during the training week are such that the edge is still in the game and the desire to play well and the hunger to perform at the highest level is still there," the forwards coach said.

"It's an individual thing. It's a collective mini unit and team thing where you can either be satisfied with one performance or look to repeat it over and over again.

"It's not just about what I do or what [coach] Graham [Henry] or [assistant coach] Wayne [Smith] does it's about what the individual does and what the team does.

"We've already heard from the South Africans that they think their level of performance was so poor because they didn't have their heads in the right space.

"We know they will be in the right space this weekend and we need to have ours there too."

Hansen expected a backlash from a Springbok side nursing plenty of wounded pride but stopped short of saying whether he thought that would include off the ball tactics to rattle the All Blacks.

"I think it will be a very physical Test as they always are between South Africa and New Zealand," he said.

"You've got the two best sides in the world playing and with that comes a lot of pressure and how you deal with that pressure is important.

"If you allow it to get maybe too aggressive then you're going to get penalised and we saw that last week.

"It's about controlling the things you have to do and combating the threats that come from the opposition. I don't think it's about the niggle."

But the assistant coach stressed, once again, that discipline would be key.

"Every coach talks about discipline. You don't want to give away silly penalties. You don't want people in the sinbin and you don't want people sent off.

"Every coach talks about that whether it's the All Blacks or the Under-10s.

"But particularly when you're playing South Africa because you've got a guy who can kick goals from all over the park. We'd be stupid if we didn't talk about it."

Alain Rolland will be charge at Westpac Stadium and Hansen had no concerns the Irishman would be able to keep up with the tempo of the game after Henry aired his concerns that referees were perhaps struggling with the increasing pace of the game under the new interpretations.

"I think to clarify what Graham was saying, the speed of the game is something that's got quicker and quicker over the years and the one thing we haven't changed in refereeing is lessening their load and decision-making," Hansen said.

"I don't think he's having a plug at their fitness I just think the speed of the game is totally different to where it's been in the past and seems to be getting faster and faster all the time.

"There has been talk in the past about two referees and doing it differently. They are things that are out of our control.

"I think Alain Rolland is probably the No.1 referee in the world at the moment. If he's not No.1 he's there or thereabouts. With those types of referees you get consistent decision-making and that's all we can ask."

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