WELLINGTON: The All Blacks play their final World Cup warm-up against Tonga today with coach Steve Hansen looking for a defence-busting performance from the reigning champions.
Hansen is expecting opponents in Japan to employ rush defence in a bid to smother the All Blacks’ attack and derail the New Zealanders’ campaign for a third straight World Cup, and fourth overall.
A hit-out against the bruising Tongans in Hamilton will give the All Blacks a chance test their attacking mettle before the tournament.
“There’s definitely been a swing or bias towards defence… but someone’s going to crack that nut because history tells us that will happen,” Hansen said this week.
“When it does, it will open up the floodgates for the attacking game to come strong again.”
Hansen, who coached New Zealand to victory in 2015 and was an assistant for the team’s 2011 triumph, backed his players to succeed on attack, pointing to last month’s 36-0 demolition of Australia.
However, the scope to experiment against Tonga is limited, as the All Blacks cannot afford a slow start in Japan, where they face South Africa in a blockbuster opening match on September 21.
The loser potentially faces Ireland in the quarter-finals, so Hansen wants his players to emerge from the Tonga fixture with confidence and momentum.
Hansen singled out fullback Ben Smith as a player who could benefit from a strong performance in Hamilton after struggling for form recently.
He said the 33-year-old, who is heading to French club Pau after the World Cup, needed to play his natural game. – AFP
