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Steve Hansen - Source: Photosport -
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Steve Hansen was rugby's version of a marked man as he walked into the media room on Wednesday but the All Blacks forwards coach had a steely glare and bagful of ready-made responses for those who doubted him.
Unlike the New Zealand lineout, Hansen never hesitated once in group interviews with both audio and print journalists, delivering an identical message when probed on the weakness of the set piece he governs.
The All Blacks' first-half lineout debacle at Hamilton on Saturday set the stage for South Africa's 32-29 win to secure the Tri Nations.
It has prompted further criticism from former All Blacks locks heading into this weekend's test against Australia here.
Andy Haden recently pinpointed Hansen's background as a former centre as a reason he isn't fit to be a forwards coach. This week Murray Pierce, Robin Brooke and Ian Jones have all been critical, highlighting technical shortcomings that fall on Hansen's burly shoulders.
The response today was typically forthright, with Hansen rehashing a famous line he attributed to former National Football League coach and quotes machine Vince Lombardi.
"They haven't built any statues for critics or wannabes yet," he said.
"My job is not about listening to those people. My job is about making sure that we stay on task and make sure we do the job we've got to do and do it well.
"There's no point me getting concerned about what people are saying."
Hansen then harked back to his days in the police force in an attempt to put the hysteria into perspective, pointing out that rugby is far removed from the harsh reality of the world.
"This is not pressure, pressure is when you knock on someone's door and say `sorry, your son's just died' or `sorry,
I've got to take your baby who has died in a cot death away'. That's pressure," he said.
"This is a game. We're passionate about it and we want to win but mistakes happen in sport.
"Otherwise (Roger) Federer would win every (tennis) Grand Slam and Serena (Williams) wouldn't carry on like she did. People are human and if you're playing with humans then you're going to get mistakes and you have to live with that."
Hansen said there was no need to bring in extra help at training to help improve the lineout as there was already ample quality coaching staff on hand to bounce ideas off.
Head coach Graham Henry defended Hansen and noted the likes of Brooke and Jones were in their prime 10-15 years ago, something that should be remembered when assessing their lineout critiques.
