Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Steve Hansen fires a parting shot at the self-interested Six Nations

Steve Hansen embraces Kieran Read after New Zealand's win over Wales (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Steve Hansen’s lengthy reign as All Blacks boss finished with their bronze medal victory over Wales in Tokyo – and he used his final post-match media conference to fire a parting shot at the Six Nations for financially hindering rugby’s global growth. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Six Nations bosses were to blame earlier this year for forcing World Rugby to bin its revolutionary Nations Championship concept that aimed to shake up the Test rugby calendar and spread more money throughout the game. 

Stepping away from a Test arena where he first became an All Blacks assistant in 2004 after earning his stripes coaching Wales, Hansen admitted that he fears the financial muscle of the self-interested northern hemisphere countries. 

“I don’t think that [financial status] is new,” he said following New Zealand’s 40-17 win. “The northern hemisphere has always had the say about what happens. 

“The Six Nations have been doing that for years. That’s one of the issues with our game. We need to become a global game and make decisions that are right for the game rather than what’s right for a region.

(Continue reading below…)

Video Spacer

“So that’s a big challenge for us and our game. We need to put personal desires to the side and do what’s right for the game, and we struggle with that a wee bit at the moment.”

Hansen signed off claiming he was proud with how his All Blacks had reacted after a difficult week coming to terms with their semi-final defeat to England. “I’d just like to say how proud I am of our team. There was a lot of external talk about not wanting to play this game (versus Wales). 

ADVERTISEMENT

“We’ve come off an extremely disappointing result against England, where we got beaten by a team that played better than us on the day, but we have come back and showed some real character and commitment to the jersey, so hopefully we’ve made a lot of New Zealanders proud.

I’d like to commend Wales, they came to play and it was a good game of footy. The game is bigger than all of us and we’re continually trying to capture people to become part of it.

“If you come with the intent to play and look to try to score tries like both teams did today, we can capture more and more people and get them excited about the game.

“Lastly, I’d like to wish England and South Africa all the very best. We will have a new world champion and we will commend them for their efforts because it is a very hard tournament to win.”

ADVERTISEMENT

WATCH: World Rugby’s highlights as New Zealand beat Wales in Tokyo

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

M
MA 3 hours ago
How the four-team format will help the Wallabies defeat the Lions

In regards to Mack Hansen, Tuipoloto and others who talent wasnt 'seen'..

If we look at acting, soccer and cricket as examples, Hugh Jackman, the Heminsworths in acting; Keith Urban in Nashville, Mike Hussey and various cricketers who played in UK and made the Australian team; and many soccer players playing overseas.


My opinion is that perhaps the ' 'potential' or latent talent is there, but it's just below the surface.


ANd that decision, as made by Tane Edmed, Noah, Will Skelton to go overseas is the catalyst to activate the latent and bring it to the surface.


Based on my personal experience of leaving Oz and spending 14 months o/s, I was fully away from home and all usual support systems and past memories that reminded me of the past.


Ooverseas, they weren't there. I had t o survive, I could invent myself as who I wanted, and there was no one to blame but me.


It bought me alive, focused my efforts towards what I wanted and people largely accepted me for who I was and how I turned up.


So my suggestion is to make overseas scholarships for younger players and older too so they can benefit from the value offered by overseas coaching acumen, established systems, higher intensity competition which like the pressure that turns coal into diamonds, can produce more Skeltons, Arnold's, Kellaways and the like.


After the Lion's tour say, create 20 x $10,000 scholarships for players to travel and play overseas.


Set up a HECS style arrangement if necessary to recycle these funds ongoingly.


Ooverseas travel, like parenthood or difficult life situations brings out people's physical and emotional strengths in my own experiences, let's use it in rugby.

68 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Can Leicester Fainga'anuku play centre for the All Blacks? Can Leicester Fainga'anuku play centre for the All Blacks?
Search