The white whale in Hansen's case being a bruising, intimidating blindside flanker – a new Jerome Kaino.
Hansen achieved plenty as All Blacks coach almost did the impossible in some regards. He won a World Cup, he won the Rugby Championship six times, presided over a perfect season in 2013, and masterminded a world record run of 18 consecutive victories.
Hansen also found a successor to Richie McCaw both as captain, but more significantly he developed Sam Cane into a world-class openside so he could take over the No 7 jersey in 2016 and make an immediate impact.
There was the small miracle he worked of inheriting just one test ready first-five in 2012, Daniel Carter, and then reaching the 2015 World Cup with six and never letting his stocks of genuinely capable No 10s drop below three.
But the one thing that alluded him was a replacement for Kaino. He couldn't find one and like Captain Ahab, he certainly tried.
He roamed the country in his quest and several times thought he'd harpooned his target only to find he hadn't.
The list of unsuccessful candidates proved long in the end. Between 2012 and 2019 Hansen tried 10 players at blindside in the hope one of them would establish themselves as the long-term successor to Kaino.
Some impressed, plenty didn't and it proved a long and frustrating battle especially as injury and then a Japanese sabbatical saw Kaino miss all of 2012 and 2013, before injury and personal issues curtailed his involvement in 2017 which led to him leaving New Zealand in August 2018.
Denne historien er fra Issue 207, October - November 2020-utgaven av NZ Rugby World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Issue 207, October - November 2020-utgaven av NZ Rugby World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The 20 Most Memorable Rugby Acts Of 2020
2020- Most Amazing Rugby Acts
RUGBY ROYALTY
FRANS STEYN’S IMPACT AT LAST YEAR’S WORLD CUP ADDED MORE PRESTIGE TO A DECORATED CAREER THAT ISN’T OVER YET. CRAIG LEWIS FROM SA RUGBY MAGAZINE REPORTS.
WINGING IT FOR LONGER
TYPICALLY POWER WINGS DON'T LAST LONG IN THE ALL BLACKS. BUT CALEB CLARKE AND RIEKO IOANE ARE HOPING TO BUCK THE TREND.
TOUGHEST JOB IN THE WORLD
NZ RUGBY WORLD EDITOR GREGOR PAUL HAS A NEW BOOK OUT CALLED THE CAPTAIN'S RUN. IN IT HE EXPLORES WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD THE WORLD'S BEST RUGBY TEAM, HOW THE JOB HAS CHANGED AND HOW THE VARIOUS LEADERS HAVE DEALT WITH PRESSURE, FAILURE AND SUCCESS.
WOW FACTOR
SCOTT ROBERTSON IS UNORTHODOX BUT HE'S ALSO BRILLIANT AND WANTS A JOB WITH THE BRITISH & IRISH LIONS.
RUGBY REBORN
COVID BROUGHT ECONOMIC CARNAGE IN 2020 BUT RATHER THAN BEING SEEN AS A WRECKER OF FORTUNES, THE PANDEMIC WAS ACTUALLY A GIANT BLESSING.
BATTLE FOR THE BLEDISLOE
THE UNPRECEDENTED CONDITIONS OF 2020 SAW THE INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR HASTILY REDRAWN AND IN A UNIQUE TWIST FOR THE PROFESSIONAL AGE, THE ALL BLACKS PLAYED FOUR CONSECUTIVE TESTS AGAINST AUSTRALIA.
PACIFIC POWER HOUSE
FIJI HAVE NEVER QUITE BEEN ABLE TO FULFIL THEIR ENORMOUS POTENTIAL. BUT THEY MIGHT NOW FOLLOWING THE APPOINTMENT OF VERN COTTER AS HEAD COACH.
THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION
ON AND OFF THE FIELD, SPRINGBOKS WING CHESLIN KOLBE CONTINUES TO MAKE AN INSPIRATIONAL IMPACT.
DEFENCE FORCE ONE
THE BLUES WERE A RADICALLY DIFFERENT TEAM IN 2020 AND MUCH OF THAT WAS DUE TO THEIR VASTLY IMPROVED WORK ON DEFENCE.
