Tomorrow’s Rugby Championship Test between New Zealand and Australia, which brings together the finalists of last year’s Rugby World Cup, might be a contest of coaches whose personalities have become increasingly evident in the styles of their teams.
The All Blacks are led by Steve Hansen, an unflappable, poker-faced, wryly humorous ex-policeman who coached New Zealand to World Cup victory and whose teams are noted for their steadiness and composure under pressure.
Australia coach Michael Cheika is Hansen’s antithesis — passionate, excitable, given to emotional outburst. His Wallabies team find themselves under pressure after a series loss to England and need to create stability out of a chaotic Super Rugby season.
Photo: AFP
It is Cheika who has tried to turn tomorrow’s match, which is also the first of three Tests between New Zealand and Australia for the Bledisloe Cup, into a rhetorical battle.
In the time-honored manner of coaches, Cheika has tried this week to lure Hansen into a war of words in the hope of diverting onto himself the pressure and scrutiny that might otherwise fall on his players.
It is also likely that Cheika is still smarting from Australia’s recent series against England, in which he was out-thought, out-coached and out-talked by England’s Australian-born coach Eddie Jones.
Jones is a former club teammate of Cheika and knew how easily he could be needled and provoked. Throughout the series he prodded the volatile Cheika and might have been able to distract the Wallabies coach from a necessary focus on his own team as a relatively moderate England team swept the series 3-0.
Hansen then added insult to injury when he said that Cheika had allowed himself to be bullied by Jones.
It was an observation, not meant to cause offense, but Cheika’s resentment has been obvious in the buildup to the Rugby Championship opener, which also involves Argentina and South Africa.
Cheika fired his first shot before the All Blacks landed in Sydney, suggesting Hansen faced some “interesting” selection decisions. On arrival, Hansen said Cheika should concentrate on his own selection issues.
Cheika tried to escalate the dispute by suggesting Hansen’s response indicated that the All Blacks were confident their 13-year Bledisloe Cup reign would not be challenged by this Australia team — a message designed to stir his own players as much as Hansen.
Hansen chose not to respond, concentrating on his side’s injury-marred preparation. Prop Joe Moody and hooker Dane Coles, who were both members of the All Blacks team who won the World Cup final, are unavailable, while center George Moala, who seemed a promising solution to a midfield conundrum, injured a knee in training on Tuesday.
New Zealand are still seeking to fill a void left by the departure of experienced center pairing of Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu, who retired from internationals after the World Cup. Injuries to Moala and Sonny Bill Williams might have added to the All Blacks’ vulnerability in that area.
Cheika has continued to try to fuel a war of words with Hansen whose comments, he said, show what the All Blacks “really think” of Australia.
“I don’t know what he’s upset about. For us, we know how we’re thought of I suppose, we know that they think we’re no chance to do anything,” Cheika said.
Hansen bowed out of the verbal contest early and has focused on preparing a team coming off a 3-0 series win over Wales, but who have injury and form issues, plus a perceived poor record against Australia in Sydney, which translates to one win and a draw for Australia in the past six Tests played in the city.
“This week has been about getting our preparation and attitude dead right and therefore there’s an expectation that this group will bring real intensity, physicality and a high level of skill execution come Saturday,” Hansen said, describing Australia as “one of our most-respected rivals.”
“We’re also playing for the Bledisloe Cup, which, after the Rugby World Cup, is probably the most important trophy we play for,” he said. “Both teams will be desperate to get their hands on it which will create added pressure. It’s about embracing that pressure and taking it on.”
Additional reporting by staff writer
Ademola Lookman on Thursday scored on his Atletico Madrid debut in a 5-0 rout of Real Betis Balompie that sent Diego Simeone’s team to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. David Hancko, Giuliano Simeone, Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada also scored for Atletico as they advanced to the last four for the third straight season. Atletico are trying to reach their first Copa final since winning the competition in 2012-2013. Hancko opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute and Giuliano Simeone added to the lead in the 30th, before Lookman got his first goal for Atletico on a fast
France head coach Fabien Galthie on Thursday lauded his team’s attacking performance after their dazzling 36-14 victory over Ireland in their Six Nations opener. A brace of tries from Louis Bielley-Biarrey and one from mercurial flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert helped France storm into a 29-0 lead before taking their foot off the gas and allowing Ireland back into the match, before winger Theo Attissogbe put some gloss on the victory late on. “In an attacking sense, with the ball, the team played with great accuracy,” Galthie said. “It was one of the most accurate attacking performances in a long time, despite the weather
SUPERSTAR DELIVERS: Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to propel the Spurs to a 135-123 victory over the Dallas Mavericks The Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday shook off the early exit of injured star Luka Doncic, rallying without him in the second half for a 119-115 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Austin Reaves, again coming off the bench in his second game back from a 19-game injury absence, scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, drilling a pair of back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lakers their first lead of the game early in the final frame. “Losing Luka, you know nothing’s going to be easy after that because he does so much for us, but we bonded together,” said
Kawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. The 34-year-old forward, a two-time NBA champion, matched the second-best road scoring effort of his career as the Clippers improved to 25-27. “Just being aggressive. My teammates trust me,” Leonard said. “Every moment when I touch the ball — assist, shooting the basketball or getting a rebound — I’m just trying to help the team win.” Leonard made three steals in a row at the start of the contest. “Just wanted to come out early in the
RSS