Steve Hansen

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Lore & Background

Hansen was born in Mosgiel to Desmond and Lauriss Hansen, dairy farmers on the Taieri Plain. He was educated at Outram Primary School, Taieri High School, and Christchurch Boys' High School. He spent six years in the New Zealand Police, working at Hornby Police Station where he met his first wife. A rugby union centre, he represented Canterbury at first-class level 21 times. He began his coaching career with Canterbury from 1996 to 2001, winning the National Provincial Championship in 1997 and 2001. From 1999 to 2001 he was assistant coach to Wayne Smith and then Robbie Deans for the Canterbury Crusaders. In 2002 he was hired as forwards coach for Wales; after head coach Graham Henry resigned following the 2002 Six Nations, Hansen was promoted to head coach for the 2002 autumn internationals. In his first game Wales lost 37–33 to France. In 2003 Wales lost every match in the Six Nations Championship to win the Wooden Spoon for the first time since 1995, and recorded a streak of 10 consecutive Test match defeats, broken by a defeat of Romania on 27 August 2003, though Hansen relinquished coaching duties for that game to Wales A coach Mike Ruddock. Hansen resumed charge for a victory over Scotland ahead of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, where a strong display against New Zealand and a quarter-final loss against England restored some faith. After the World Cup, he announced he would step down as Wales coach at the end of the 2004 Six Nations Championship. In 2004 he was appointed All Blacks assistant coach under Graham Henry. He assisted Henry in coaching New Zealand to a win in the 2011 World Cup final against France. Hansen took over as head coach when Henry's contract expired at the end of 2011, formally appointed on 15 December 2011. He guided the All Blacks to a 3–0 series victory over Ireland in 2012, retained the Bledisloe Cup, and his only defeat that year was a 38–21 loss to England on 1 December 2012. He was named IRB Coach of the Year for 2012 and appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In 2013 the All Blacks retained the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup, winning 14 of 14 matches, and Hansen was named IRB coach of the year again. In 2014 they lost their first ever Rugby Championship match (27–25 to South Africa on 4 October) and drew with Australia, but retained the title. Hansen led the All Blacks to victory in the 2015 Rugby World C

In Their Own Story

The defining moment of Hansen's career arrived on 31 October 2015, when he led the All Blacks to victory against Australia in the Rugby World Cup final. This triumph made New Zealand the first team ever to retain the Webb Ellis Cup and secured their first World Cup win outside New Zealand. The path was not without hurdles; during the pool stage, they faced error-ridden games but topped Pool C with wins over Argentina, Namibia, Georgia, and Tonga. They dismantled France 62–13 in the quarter-final and edged South Africa 20–18 in a tense semi-final before sealing their place in history. Earlier, in 2013, Hansen's team achieved a perfect season, winning all 14 matches to become the first professional-era side to do so. Despite challenges like a historic first-ever Rugby Championship loss to South Africa in 2014 and a drawn series against the British & Irish Lions in 2017 where Sonny Bill Williams was sent off, Hansen's leadership remained steadfast until he stepped down at the conclusion of his second World Cup campaign in 2019.

Reader's Guide

Hansen's coaching career began with Canterbury provincial team (1996–2001), then assistant coach for the Crusaders (1999–2001). He moved to Wales as forwards coach in 2002, became head coach after Henry's resignation, and led Wales through the 2003 Six Nations Wooden Spoon and 2003 Rugby World Cup, stepping down after the 2004 Six Nations. He returned to New Zealand as All Blacks assistant coach in 2004, helped win the 2011 World Cup, and became head coach in December 2011. His tenure included a 2015 World Cup win, multiple Rugby Championship titles, and a drawn Lions series in 2017. He left after the 2019 World Cup.

Did You Know?

• Hansen spent six years in the New Zealand Police, working at Hornby Police Station.
• He was named IRB Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
• The All Blacks under Hansen set a Tier One world record of 18 consecutive victories in 2016.