Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen credits the Springboks’ success and status as the world’s No 1 side to playing for a cause bigger than themselves.
South Africa head into Saturday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry opener against New Zealand at Ellis Park as back-to-back world champions and the top-ranked team.
Speaking on DSPN with Martin Devlin, Hansen also applauded Erasmus for building the depth that has helped the Boks maintain their standards despite injuries.
“They’ve been smart too about what they’re doing. They are a country that has a massive history of division, and Rassie and his crew have used rugby to try and bring the country together and give them a cause to play for,” the 2015 World Cup-winning tactician said.
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“They play for more than just themselves, which makes them dangerous. They’re extremely talented, obviously very coachable, and they’re smart.
“They’ve developed a lot of depth, so injuries aren’t a problem. They have a strong bench, so there are a number of reasons.”
Hansen believes the greater purpose behind Erasmus’ troops gives them an added edge when the margins are tight.
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“They’ve all got the same or thereabouts equality as far as that goes, so if you can find something that brings you together … it’s the connections that make you want to play for each other, want to play for the jersey, want to play for your country; that makes you even stronger,” he said.
“They’ve definitely got a cause; there’s no doubt about that. You can see it with some of the stuff that they do on their Instagram.
“Rassie is a smart man; he doesn’t do too many things without knowing the consequences of them, and there’s a purpose. It’s a us against the rest of the world type mentality.
“I always found that if you can create a team that has a sense of belonging to each other and then an outside belonging, you become very strong.”
Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
The post Hansen on why Boks are stronger together appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen credits the Springboks’ success and status as the world’s No 1 side to playing for a cause bigger than themselves.
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