All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will breathe a huge sigh of relief that his final preparations for the Rugby World Cup got off to a winning start, ...
WELLINGTON: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will breathe a huge sigh of relief that his final preparations for the Rugby World Cup got off to a winning start, but he would also know there was still plenty of room for improvement over the next two months.
"We found a lot of things and most of them were pretty positive and that was pleasing," Hansen said of a squad that included five debutants and seven others with 10 or less caps. The side were shorn of several hundred caps of test experience with players from the Canterbury Crusaders, including regular captain Kieran Read and lock Sam Whitelock, being rested ahead of Saturday's clash against the Springboks in Wellington.Experienced players like Brodie Retallick, Beauden Barrett and captain Sam Cane showed leadership in the final stages of the game, which Hansen felt would only serve the team well in Japan later this year.
The 60-year-old Hansen, who is leaving the job after the Rugby World Cup, however, was aware there were elements that would need to be worked on ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
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