Steve Hansen recruits old mate McLean on merit

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The All Blacks' new Minister of Defence, Aussie McLean, has two Hansens to thank for his rise to the top of the coaching ranks – Steve Hansen and his father Des.

McLean was "absolutely thrilled" to be shoulder-tapped by Steve Hansen "a week before the start of the World Cup" and asked if he would join his All Blacks coaching team should he succeed Graham Henry.

The pair, who own a restaurant franchise in the Wellington suburb of Petone, go back almost 35 years, when they first teamed in the Marist club backline under Des Hansen, a celebrated Christchurch club coach.

Hansen and McLean had a 100 per cent strike-rate in their only coaching year together – 2001 when they led Canterbury to the NPC title and defended the Ranfurly Shield.

Their paths then diverged. Hansen joined Henry in Wales and then onto an eight-year odyssey with the All Blacks. McLean moved to Wellington to work with the Hurricanes and the Lions after four years – and one title – as Canterbury head coach.

Hansen was at pains to point out yesterday McLean got his role as All Blacks defence coach and strategic analyst on merit. Their friendship was "irrelevant to why he's in the job".

He felt his old Marist mucker – best known as a backs coach – was "a logical fit" for the defence portfolio vacated by Wayne Smith and the often unseen analytical duties done so ably by Henry.

"I thought those two fit well together and Aussie's very strong in the analysis area and I'm sure he understands attack well. If you understand attack, then you also understand defence well. We managed to replace two people by bringing him in."

Both men agree they share the same view. "Our philosophies of how the game should be played really come from his father," McLean said.

"I still go and see Des on a regular basis and I will sit down and talk to him for a couple of hours. He's probably the common thread between us."

But while McLean and Hansen jr sing off the same sheet, they can also hum different tunes.

"Steve and I don't always agree how to get to those philosophies," McLean said.

"We had a lot of fun up here in 2001. He knows if I don't agree with something then I'm not going to be intimidated. But when we've finished we will [be of] one mind and that's what we will go out and coach."

He knows from long experience that Hansen is always thinking innovatively. McLean was an established Marist senior player and Canterbury B representative when Hansen came into the team in "1977 or 78".

"He was straight out of school, but he had a lot of fantastic ideas. I played fullback and one week I made six tackles in a row, that's a lot for a fullback. He had some ideas how we could change our defensive pattern which would mean I'd make a lot less tackles. So I drove those ideas for him quite strongly because I was a bit older than him and had been in the team older.

"You go back to Des, his father, for those again."

McLean – Australian born but New Zealand domiciled for most of his 58 years – said he never thought he would have an opportunity to be part of the All Blacks coaching team until his pre-World Cup chat with Hansen.

McLean, who coached the New Zealand under-19 to three world titles, spent the last three years with Samoa as technical adviser and assistant-coach.

He said it gave him vital international experience.

The longtime businessman likens working for the world champion All Blacks to taking over a successful business. "You run it pretty much as it is for the start and then you tinker with it to improve it and get better.

"My feelings are if I go in there and say I'm going to change the world, that would be the wrong thing to do. Over the next 12 months, for instance, hopefully I can add something but it will be more incremental than revolutionary."

- © Fairfax NZ News