Rugby World Cup: All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will play the dice at 10 if necessary

Steve Hansen is a playmate. He owns racehorses; it's okay with the chewed turf. And the All Blacks coach said he would not hesitate to roll the dice when it comes to replacing Damian McKenzie's boots for the next World Cup, if that's what his team needs.

The master coach, who is trying to sign a historic 16-year career at the All Blacks with a history of three World Cup matches in Japan later this year, followed the national anxiety brought about by the injury to the Knee ending the McKenzie season with a lot of interest and joy.

Where many have described the forced defection of the young man who covered the first two-eighths and the back half so well as a form of crisis, leaving the dangerously lean All Blacks to No. 10 for Japan, Hansen sees nothing like it . "Calm down, I have this", sums up the essence of his message in an interview with the Star-Times the Saturday.

Hansen understands that there is some nervousness around the depth of the All Blacks at No. 10. Behind incumbents, Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo 'unga, there is a precipitous fall of the next few specialists who compete for a place in the group of 31 Japan. Josh Ioane, Highlander, has a huge promise, but he's as raw as a sashimi. others seem to lack test quality.

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But Hansen confirmed that he would not necessarily bring three specialists to the 10th in Japan and that he would be ready to roll the dice with a rescue utility. Jordie Barrett, TJ Perenara or even the very complete David Havili could all be suitable. He says it boils down to the balance of the team and the best candidates available.

With respect to McKenzie's role, Hansen already has a replacement in the identical.

"What we will miss the most, is his ability to tear teams, it is not so much a matter of position," said the veteran coach. "He looks a lot like a young Beauden, he can cover several positions, but he has the ability and the speed to open the sides, and Beauden did this job with great success at the last World Cup.

"It takes some pressure to find someone like that because we already have someone world clbad.

"So, what we have to decide now: do we have to hire a three-seater specialist or a specialist at 10? C and that's what matters in one word."

It's here that Hansen has indicated his willingness to play.

"It all depends on the risk-reward factor," he said, stressing that there was a need to take into account a higher quality indicator beyond South Africa. "Do you have any other players able to cover the back three, or do you have other players who could cover the top five?

"If there's a third first five points, we'll take it in. If not, we'll cover it in the group, and then we'll take another outside player who can tear up and open teams.

"It's about arriving at the moment of selection after doing all our homework and saying," What can we risk and what can we not risk? "

Of course, McKenzie's injury is not the crux of the potential problem. If Barrett and / or Mo'unga are down, then that would become really interesting, in 2011, when the All Blacks lost Dan Carter, Colin Slade and Aaron Cruden in the final of the title.

Hansen, who fears nothing, acknowledges that 2011 shows what can happen in the worst case. But he also points out that the depth of the All Blacks in this position always brought them home, if only through the skin of their teeth.

"It was exploded like the end of the world but it is not the case because it can not be," he adds. "We can not afford it."

Experience is the main precondition absent from contenders for Mo 'unga. "There is a lot of talent in our 10, it's just so we have someone who has the courage to do it.We will not panic.We have many people who can play multiple positions and this gives us flexibility in our selection process. "

Flanker blind side is the other position causing public anxiety. Former coach Sir Graham Henry recently said that the All Blacks were "fighting" for 6th place and that they had not yet found a real substitute for Jerome Kaino.

Hansen disagreed with this view and feels well served blind. Liam Squire, who performed the bulk of tests in the post Kaino era, is expected to be back shortly after a knee injury. Shaped Hyghander Shannon Frizell continues to develop her game; and Blues rookie Tom Robinson offers a lot of food for thought with his dynamic game. Lock Scott Barrett can also play.

"JK left big boots to fill, but Liam was doing a great job until he was ravaged by an injury," said Hansen. "It's a position in which we have a lot of talent and a lot of people raising their hands – it's just a matter of choosing the right one."

Perhaps even more disturbing, the second ultrasound of the shoulder of veteran accessory Owen Franks must take place every day. Hansen would not want bad news there. But when he gets it, as he did with the McKenzie situation, he 's going away. Over the past two decades, he has learned to manage what you have, not what you have.