Hansen: Expects a war of attrition
All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen expects another war of attrition when his side faces the Pumas in La Plata.
Despite winning the previous match between these sides in Wellington earlier this month, the Pumas managed to keep the the All Blacks at bay for more than an hour before two late tries secured a 21-5 victory for the home side.
And Hansen is convinced Argentina will resort to similar tactics which prevented New Zealand launching attacks in that Test.
According to Fairfax Media, Hansen criticised Argentina's forwards for habitually losing their footing at the breakdown and killing the ball as a means of disrupting New Zealand's momentum.
"Argentina will look to slow it down and make it a scrappy game," he said.
"If it does get scrappy we'll get what we got in Wellington."
Hansen believes it's imperative that his side counters that tactic so that they can implement their expansive game-pan.
"We've got to get quicker ball, we've got to win the collision as the ball carrier and get our cleanout right," he said.
"We've got to keep the big Argentinian forwards from going off their feet, killing our ball and slowing our ball."
The All Blacks have scored seven tries in the four Tests since crossing the line nine times in their 60-0 demolition of Ireland in Hamilton earlier this year.
Despite this statistic, Hansen remains positive.
"We're not scoring a lot of tries but the tries we are scoring are off set-piece play and no other team in the world's doing that to the same extent at the moment," he said.
"What we've got to do now is put together the broken play tries - forwards and backs combining - and the opposition aren't allowing us to do that. So far they've been good enough to stop us."
Comments
Rosbif says...
who ate all the pies?
(on a separate note, I wonder if Graham Henry is secretly trying to de-construct the ABs. it must be tempting. trying to find a way to beat the most impressive and efficient team the planet has ever seen, and one that he had a big hand in creating? do you think he'll have a meal and drink with the boys after the game? maybe a sneaky lift back to the airport with his old mates???)
Posted 18:25 25th September 2012
7ton says...
Melkdave
It's obvious SH doesn't expect the Pumas to "stand back and let the AB's run riot" as you say
Ignore the misleading headline and read what he actually says and you will see what he expects/wants his team to do. Those are hardly what you could call "stupid comments"
Posted 10:20 25th September 2012
WorldWary says...
Padraigfitzpat says...
22 to 19 away game Vs NZ...........it should have been 19 :19 if you ha bothered to see the refs call on the penalty that took them clear.ireland just don't have the depth a lot of the bigger unions have to play 3 tests so close away from home. Don,t worry we,ll put you away soon enough NZ.
Haha, so by that you mean you could have possibly got a DRAW!?! Oh wow, revel in that one much. That the difference isn't it, a draw would have been akin to a loss to the ABs but Ireland would have treated it as a win...it's not! The thing is that as much as you'd like to think otherwise the ABs had control of the ball, in your red zone, at the critical part of the match...Ireland didn't. The ABs gave themselves the chance to win the game...they may have failed, but, like all great teams they took control to give themselves the 'chance' and it paid off! No matter whether you think the penalty was deserved or not the fact is Ireland NEVER had the ball in the position to win the game in those last minutes. You are harping on about the missed chance for a measly 'Draw' big whoop!
And while we are at it, of course you'll beat NZ eventually...once again I'm not sure how proud I'd be of that, surely it just highlights how deficient you've been? It's going to have taken you 100+ years of trying...before the motor car, before 2 world wars, before rock n roll, before movies or jet planes or even computers and the Internet....that's verging on pathetic but I'm sure it will be parades in the street in Ireland? Ireland is a 3rd tier rugby nation, even 2nd Tier nations like England can manage a win v NZ 'once' a decade!? And some of the top tier like oz and SA manage it once every 2 years or so...hell even the French can do it every 5 years.
Posted 08:10 25th September 2012
sandal says...
@ArmchairGeneral
Silly.
@Padraigfitzpat
You say: ""22 to 19 away game Vs NZ...........it should have been 19 :19 if you ha bothered to see the refs call on the penalty that took them clear.""
God, are you still on about that? As I recall, Ireland got from 19-13 to 19-19 through two penalties. One was awarded against Read, who was lying injured and consequently prone at the bottom of a ruck but in no way interfering with the passage of the ball. The other was awarded when Reddan cynically dived over Ali Williams' foot, though Williams was nowhere near the ball. That is two instances of inept reffing that favoured Ireland and very nearly robbed NZ, though you never hear about that from the Irish. You are becoming as deaf and blind as the Welsh who complain about that lineout in 1978. But then Irish rugby has long been noted for its petulance.
Btw, a point of fact: NZ won with a drop goal, not a penalty.
Posted 07:45 25th September 2012
Padraigfitzpat says...
22 to 19 away game Vs NZ...........it should have been 19 :19 if you ha bothered to see the refs call on the penalty that took them clear.ireland just don't have the depth a lot of the bigger unions have to play 3 tests so close away from home. Don,t worry we,ll put you away soon enough NZ. The other 2 teams down under have been made to look weak on the last few run outs against Ireland.
Posted 06:52 25th September 2012
sandal says...
@ philipjfry says...
True, every team does try to slow its opponents' ball. Hansen is just stating the problem the All Blacks have to address in playing Argentina. I don't know why he is telling the world, however, unless he is trying to influence the ref.
@davodiablo
I agree.
Posted 01:50 25th September 2012
tha_mai says...
hard to find the actual criticism by Hansen, it's a comment on how different both teams play, and he appears to criticise his own side for ailing to adapt in that Wellington test.
'it's imperative that his side counters that tactic' suggests it was the ABs inability to adapt to a different country's style of play, followed by three pointers for the ABs 'get quicker ball, win the collision as the ball carrier, get our cleanout right'
Posted 00:28 25th September 2012
lalby says...
Hansen, try to manage ab's. Keep cool because you are warming the match, and 50k crowd in La Plata it's let me say very difficult to control, take advise of this...don't cry after ......
Posted 22:13 24th September 2012
7ton says...
Argentina simply have to play to their strengths and like all teams against the AB's need to slow the ball down. If they can do it without giving away to many penalties and play to the ref then good luck to them. The AB's themselves will slow things down when they need to.
Hansen is being realistic in saying that so far the opposition have been good enough to stop them scoring broken play tries and that the AB's need to get quicker ball and win the collision as the ball carrier.
Posted 21:04 24th September 2012
melkdave says...
Every team on the planet including the ABs slows down opposistion ballSo for SH to critacise a team for doing exactly what his team is doing is bizazar to say the least.I also have to say that the pumas arnt doing it illegally aswell ,they are competing for the ball till the ABs have it nothing more nothing less.Stupid comments imo from SH ,he just wants the pumas to stand off and allow his side to run riot ,Well he has no chance .
Posted 20:33 24th September 2012
KiwiLad says...
Irishinlondon, sadly old chap the 3rd test was not an incredibly bad dream, It actually happened, and your lads got creamed.
Posted 19:59 24th September 2012
Bones7 says...
that 60-0 game was absolute carnage but the ABs have struggled to really fire to that extent since. In all fairness though they haven't played sides since with anyone as bad as Keith Earls in who just got run over by Hosea Gear and SBW and a fully fit Conrad Smith worked wonders in the midfield
Posted 19:27 24th September 2012
ArmchairGeneral says...
Well after all the patronising praise from the top 3 the Pumas have received up till now, here is a step up in complements. Whinging from the AB coach. Now they have achieved true parity! Well done Pumas you have them scared and making excuses!!
Posted 19:14 24th September 2012
kybone says...
ryantownsend12 and redjosh- Are you two for real?! Im pretty sure Irishinlondon was joking! You Morons. I think if someone said 'look there's an elephant flying' you'd look up to check. lol.
Posted 19:12 24th September 2012
GoWalesGo says...
It's the truth to be fair
Posted 19:08 24th September 2012
Toulousain says...
this is a joke, right?
i'm not sure we Latins have the same sense of humour. the ABs defend a 1 point lead in RWC final for half an hour by "resorting" to slowing down the ball, lying all over the rucks etc etc yawn yawn we all know the story.
where were you Mr Hansen? hiding in the changing room? already on the beers? you shld be showing utter respect to the pumas for copying the world champions and doing it pretty well.
but then, as i said, this is a joke, right? just for the journos, to get spiced up before the game? you wonder why managers are even allowed to speak before kick-off....
Posted 18:39 24th September 2012
Rude_80 says...
what a fat pig!
Posted 14:43 24th September 2012
redjosh says...
Selective memory eh Irishinlondon...
09 Jun All Blacks v Ireland in Auckland 42-10.
16 Jun All Blacks v Ireland in Christchurch 22-19.
23 Jun All Blacks v Ireland in Hamilton 60-0.
Posted 14:39 24th September 2012
davodiablo says...
I didn't read that as criticism.
Posted 14:30 24th September 2012
ryantownsend12 says...
@Irishinlondon There were three tests 1st Ireland got beat 40 odd points, 2nd test was very close and took a last minute Dan Carter drop goal and then the 3rd test they beat Ireland by 60 points not sure if it was 60-0 or not but probaly was.
@philipjfry you must see what he is trying to say thou Argentina just cause Chaos at ruck time but they play to there strenghts so fair play.
Posted 14:14 24th September 2012