LYON, France (Reuters) – All Blacks hooker Dane Coles said he had made peace with Steve Hansen this week after criticising the former New Zealand coach for helping out Australia with their World Cup preparations.
Coles reacted with incredulity three weeks ago when told Hansen, nicknamed Shag, had been advising New Zealand’s fierce rivals at the behest of his friend Wallabies coach Eddie Jones.
“Shag, what are you up to?,” a stunned Coles told reporters.
“That hurts a little bit, to be fair. I’m just gobsmacked. I know he’s quite tight with Eddie, they’re really good mates, but he’s a bit of an icon in the All Blacks set-up.”
Hansen, who led an All Blacks side featuring Coles to a World Cup triumph in 2015, has now joined the New Zealand camp in Lyon ahead of their second Pool A match against Namibia on Friday.
“He gave me a bit of stick yesterday for causing a bit of a scene, but it’s good,” Coles told reporters on Tuesday.
“He gave me a big hug and I won’t say what he said to me, but it was all in good humour.
“He’s got a lot of respect in this environment, he was just helping out a mate once we got a bit of context to it.”
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Ken Ferris)
