Hansen's four teams that could win Rugby World Cup
- Publish Date
- Wednesday, 24 May 2023, 8:43AM
Former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen says England and Australia have an āeasy rideā at the Rugby World Cup this year but isnāt picking them among contenders to win the tournament.
Hansen is coaching the World XV against Eddie Jonesās Barbarians side at Twickenham on Monday NZT.
England are in the pool D with Japan, Argentina, Samoa and Chile and if they top the group would face Wales, Fiji or Australia in the quarter-finals, avoiding the likes of Ireland, France, South Africa and the All Blacks until the semifinal stage.
āIf you are Australia or England at the moment, you are rubbing your hands, arenāt you? You are going to get an easy ride in if you do things right,ā said Hansen.
Hansen, who coached the All Blacks to World Cup glory in 2015, said despite the easier run into the semifinals, he wasnāt picking Australia or England to lift the William Webb Ellis trophy.
āI think [Australia] are a big show. I think England are a show for the same reason. Theyāre on that side of the pool and theyāre being left alone while the big guys all knock themselves out. If you ask me who was capable of winning it, I think probably France, Ireland, the All Blacks, and South Africa ā one of those four.ā
Hansen also responded to the Rugby Football Unionās decision to fly the āPride Progressā flag at Twickenham in support of the LGBTQ+ community after the selection of Israel Folau for the World XV side.
Folau saw his contract with the Wallabies terminated in 2019 after a controversial religious posting on social media when he said that gay people would go to hell āunless they repent of their sins and turn to Godā.
āI think [the flying of the flag] is great,ā said Hansen. āItās a consequence [of Folauās selection] and I think itās a good thing. Itās an opportunity to show support to that flag. I donāt have a problem with it, I think itās great. There wouldnāt be one there if Israel wasnāt playing so whenever we can bring attention to people who are suffering in a positive way I think thatās good. They deserve to be loved and cared for as much as anybody else. If we all did that itād be a happy place, wouldnāt it.
āHeās a very good rugby player. And I know by picking him that there will be some people hurt. And I get that. However, I want those people to understand that Israelās beliefs and views are not ours. And [we] donāt agree with them. But heās a rugby player first and foremost and heās been sanctioned, those sanctions have finished, heās playing rugby, heās probably going to go to the World Cup so my job is to pick the best team I can pick and thatās what Iāve done.ā
This article was first published onĀ nzherald.co.nzĀ and is republished here with permission
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