It is 10 years since Steve Hansen finished his stint as the Wales coach and he is used to invitations to play mind games before a return to the Millennium Stadium, but even he was surprised at the observation of the scrum-half Rhys Webb this week that New Zealand were there to be taken.
Since Hansen moved up a rung to become the All Blacks coach after the 2011 World Cup, they have only lost two Tests, and the last time they failed to beat Wales was in 1953. When asked at the announcement of the New Zealand team for the Cardiff encounter on Saturday, when Richie McCaw will lead the side for a record 100th time, why anyone would think his team was there for the taking, he threatened to break into a smile.
“I do not believe they think that,” he said. “They probably feel they have to say it. Sometimes we find our inner belief by talking. Reading all the newspaper clippings, Wales obviously have a lot of self-belief. Saturday will show whether we are there for the taking but what makes this team believe in itself is what it has done.
“We expect Wales to come out and chuck everything at us but we know we are a good side and if we prepare well, we have a decent chance of getting the job done. If we don’t, that’s sport.”
After changing all but two of the side who started against England for last weekend’s match against Scotland, Hansen has restored the bulk of the lineup who played at Twickenham: Ben Smith moves from wing to full-back, Charles Piutau fills his place out wide and Beauden Barrett gets his chance at fly-half after Aaron Cruden and then Dan Carter wore the No10 jersey this month.
McCaw makes his third start in as many weeks having operated at blindsideflanker at Murrayfield. He will reach his century of Tests as captain on the ground where he led the side for the first time, against Wales exactly 10 years ago.
“We’re all very proud of Richie,” Hansen said. “He’s a straight up-and-down bloke who’s probably our greatest rugby player ever. It’s nice to be here to share that moment with him but he would be the first to tell you this game is not about him but the team playing well so we can walk off the field having got the win.
“I first saw him play in a school game at a tournament in Christchurch. He was about 17. He wasn’t a natural athlete, he had four feet and couldn’t catch a cold. What he had was a massive capacity to learn and he always wanted to be better.
“He was very good over the ball. He had a massive ticker and he wouldn’t mind getting dealt to because he would keep coming back. You could run him over with a tractor and he would still get up and have another go.”
Hansen added: “There was courage there but the thing that’s made him the great player he is, outside his mental strength, is his desire to improve. Even now, after 136 Tests, he’s still knocking on the door asking how he can be better. That’s phenomenal for an athlete who’s been around as long as he has. You see most players striving for the first couple of seasons as an international and then they flatline, sometimes even dipping away.”
The All Blacks second row Sam Whitelock said emphasis was being placed on the set pieces. “If the tight five perform, we allow our loosies into the game and provide a platform for the backs,” he said. “Wales are a good side and the set pieces are crucial, along with restarts. Our lineout has been up and down and we need to get it going while putting pressure on Wales’s.”