Steve Hansen offers Michael Cheika olive branch to mend 'frosty' relationship
• All Blacks coach calls for pair to sit down and ‘sort it out’
• Cheika still fuming on arrival back in Australia following defeat
By Australian AP | The Guardian | October 23, 2016All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has called for a ceasefire in verbal warfare with Wallabies counterpart Michael Cheika which has plunged trans-Tasman rugby relations to an all-time low.
Refusing to be gagged, Cheika on Sunday wasn’t backing down after Hansen accusing him of “hijacking” New Zealand’s Test world-record celebrations.
In the aftermath to Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup series finale in Auckland, Cheika took aim at New Zealand media over being depicted as an angry clown and then claimed the All Blacks did not respect the Wallabies, suggesting they were involved in the media caricature.
Seething after his portrayal in the country’s biggest paper, the New Zealand Herald, on the match morning, Cheika let rip in an extraordinary rant after Australia’s 37-10 loss at Eden Park.
Hansen hit back at a “sulking” Cheika and said he needed to be bigger than to take a newspaper’s barb to heart and that it was wrong to suggest the All Blacks could dictate what the media did.
But on Sunday Hansen softened his stance and extended an olive branch to Cheika for the good of rugby in Australasia.
“For a long time the relationship with Australia has probably been a little frosty and maybe we need to sit down and have a beer together and sort it out,” Hansen said, describing the Wallabies as a “formidable opponent” and important ally.
More at link (photo of newspaper cover) lol:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/ ... -australia