All Blacks' Hansen fires shot at Six Nations to do more for global game
SHOWS:
TOKYO, JAPAN (OCTOBER 22, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. ALL BLACKS HEAD COACH STEVE HANSEN SITTING IN HIS CHAIR AT NEWS CONFERENCE
2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND HEAD COACH STEVE HANSEN SAYING:
"I think South Africa is always going to be our biggest rival because of all the history that comes with it, and the nature of the fact that we play each other so regularly. I think we have played England once in the last six years. So it is hard to build the rivalry if we don't play each other. But if we could get the Six Nations to come on board with a global season then we might be able to do that, you know. Once they do that, then they are starting to think about the game rather than themselves."
3. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND HEAD COACH STEVE HANSEN SAYING:
"We feel it every day in our lives, different things cause us to feel it. You are playing in a semi-final at the Rugby World Cup. There is definitely going to be a pressure on both sides and the key thing is how you manage it. You crack that nut you give yourself an opportunity to play well. If you don't crack it then you know you could go inwardly and get tight and miss the opportunities that are going to be there."
6. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND HEAD COACH STEVE HANSEN SAYING:
"It's a real thing. But you know sometimes you better not bother going there and sometimes you are. Eddie (Jones) will decide whether he wants to go there or I've already decided what I am going to do, so you would have to wait and see, I guess, there is a couple more days to go so."
8. NEW ZEALAND TEAM EMBLEM READING ALL BLACKS
9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND HEAD COACH STEVE HANSEN SAYING:
"Japan have been outstanding. And I think, you know after the game the other night, you could actually see visibly how much it meant to them, emotionally, they were spent, I think that's a great sign of, for rugby in Japan, because I think people in Japan respect that they gave everything they had. Just on the night South Africa were a little better. I don't think that score line was a true reflection but in a sport, you can do that sometimes, it can blow out."
10. HANSEN LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
STORY: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has fired a shot at the Six Nations countries on Tuesday (October 22) to abandon their self interest and try to work with World Rugby to get a global calendar.
Hansen, who is preparing his side for their Rugby World Cup semi-final against England on Saturday (October 26), added that a lack of regular play between northern and southern hemisphere nations had meant there was no traditional rivalry between the sides.
"I think we have played England once in the last six years and it's hard to build a rivalry when you don't play each other," he told reporters in Tokyo. "If we could get the Six Nations to come on board with a global season then we might able to do that."
New Zealand rugby officials have long argued for a better co-ordinated international calendar to ensure that northern and southern hemisphere competitions can be better aligned and to better manage player workload.
Hansen, in the media conference, also highlighted the success that Japan -- which is officially a tier two nation -- has had in the tournament, with the Brave Blossoms making their first quarter-final after they won a pool that included Ireland and Scotland. Japan were beaten 26-3 by the Springboks in their quarter-final in Tokyo on Sunday (October 20).
(Production: Jack Tarrant, Yoko Kono)
