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Steve Hansen on what 'probably' cost Eddie Jones his job

Is Eddie Jones pointing at Steve Hansen? Or the Big Bad Wolf?

All Blacks coaching great Steve Hansen believes Eddie Jones’s big focus on next year’s Rugby World Cup probably cost him his England job.

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Hansen has been appointed to guide a World XV against a Barbarians team coached by Jones at Twickenham in May.

The 2015 World Cup winner admitted he was taken aback at the timing of the England decision to axe their Australian coach.

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“It was pretty surprising that they would replace him now, when all along Eddie’s been saying ‘look, this is what we’re building for’,” Hansen said.

“He’s been their most successful coach in history. Some might say that Clive (Woodward) is because he won a World Cup. However, the record speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

“I know Eddie had a big focus on the World Cup and that’s probably what in the end cost him, because he didn’t have such a good autumn and people were frustrated by that.”

Jones can boast a 73 per cent winning record with England over his seven years in charge from 2015, and he took them to the last World Cup final in Japan with a masterpiece semi-final victory over the All Blacks.

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But he was sacked on December 6 following a disappointing autumn internationals campaign having finished third in the Six Nations with a 2-3 record early in the year.

Rugby Australia has sounded out former Wallabies coach Jones about a possible return home, while other nations have also expressed interest in his services.

“You relish every chance to go against Eddie,” said Hansen. “We’ve known each other for a long, long time and he’s a good rugby man.

“With Eddie, you’ve got to expect the unexpected, because one of his great attributes is his ability to analyse the opposition and set traps for them.

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“He’s a great planner, that’s why he’s been so successful with so many sides in different World Cups, having won one with South Africa (as advisor).”

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J
JWH 40 minutes ago
Are the All Blacks doomed to a 70% flatline?

Interesting take, crazy to see the amount of delulu NZ fans here. I am an NZ fan, but this is atrocious.


I am fine with 75%+, in fact I think that is excellent, but the main point of anguish is not IF we win or lose, it is how. I think that Razor has finally got us playing to our identity again; flowing, simple, and brutally decisive & efficient.


There are certainly some issues that the stats reflect, like the scrum and lineout. However, at scrum time, there isn't really much variation, in terms of attack, you can put on that. So at the end of the day, not much to do differently apart from 'scrum better'.


However, the lineout is quite interesting. As Ryan said earlier this week, the ABs have added a lot of depth and combinations to their lineout, with FOUR lineout options (Barrett, Vaai, Savea, Sititi). While they did only retain 80% possession from lineouts (not great), the stat line is actually 12/15, which is pretty good, considering Aumua did all those lineout with limited experience and tiredness after playing 75 minutes at Twickenham.


There are also some really good stats to back up the ABs. They managed to stay out of their own 22 for a lot of the game, however they also didn't set up camp in the opp 22 often either. They are also passing the ball a lot, clocking in at 211 passes, double that of England. These stats show a return to attacking, flowing rugby, and not playing your own 22, which is the ABs style.


What I think Razor wants to do is make effective use of draw and pass, simple rugby. This can be pre or post contact, but you have to draw more than 1 player. For example, that Sititi offload to Telea, or BB to Jordan. Those were excellent, yet overall simple passages of rugby This can be risky at times (just watch DMac play), but it is a medium risk high reward gameplan.


What we Kiwis want is exciting rugby. We want hard defense, big hits, cool plays, and quick linebreaks. I cannot imagine being an SA fan between 2018-2021, which was one of the most boring rugby teams of all time (respectfully). I also cannot imagine being an England fan right now, so dull. But the ABs are making rugby exciting again, playing like Scotland and Fiji, but better.

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LONG READ
LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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