VIDEO: Why All Blacks are so good
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP REACTION: New Zealand coach Steve Hansen allowed the outside world a peek into the inner sanctum of the All Blacks.
Hansen, speaking after the All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 16th straight year with a 40-12 drubbing of Australia in Auckland on Saturday, revealed that the players are given freedom on the field.
For the second successive week, the world champions scored six tries – four in a record-setting performance by flyhalf Beauden Barrett and crossed for three more only to be ruled out on review by the television match official Marius Jonker.
All four of Barrett’s tries came from broken play or his side sparking a counter-attack – with Ben Smith superb at exploiting space, while Joe Moody and Liam Squire were put over after their teammates hurled themselves at the Wallabies defenders time and time again.
Even disallowed tries by Barrett, his younger brother Jordie and Waisake Naholo, were generated from deep on defence, highlighting the willingness of their side to run when they saw opportunities to exploit tired legs.
“They play what is in front of them and we try to drum that into them,” the All Black coach, Hansen said.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s from deep or not.
“If it’s on to run you have to run and we have players that can punish you when they do.”
Hansen was overall “pleased” with his side’s effort in over-running the Wallabies in the second half after they had been held for much of the first.
“They [the Wallabies] were better,” Hansen added.
“They played particularly well and it took us a lot longer to get on top.
“It was an improvement from last week. We were a lot more accurate in some of the things we were doing. There’s still a lot of room for improvement, but we have to be incredibly pleased.”
