I was recently listening to an interview with an English actor.
I’ve paraphrased it a bit, but one thing this guy said stuck with me.
“If you are an idealist, you will eventually become a hypocrite.”
I was reminded of that comment when I read an article stating that Steve Hansen had a consulting job at the Wallabies.
I don’t care who Hansen works for. I don’t care what he says to them, and I especially don’t care if he pays for it.
Now, in this example, the wagon was quickly circled.
Before accepting the role, Hansen reportedly told All Blacks coach Ian Foster that he was not being paid and would not divulge trade secrets.
No, he’s simply eyeing Australia’s Rugby World Cup team for a few days as a favor to old friend Eddie Jones.
But what if he wasn’t? What if he actually joined the Wallaby staff full-time? What if he gave Jones a chapter and a poem about the All Blacks?
Or, more importantly, does anyone care? Should they?
I don’t watch rugby with an All Blacks eyepatch.
Just as my admiration for club and franchise teams ebbs and flows, I view certain iterations of the All Blacks more favorably than others.
My views come from the people who run, coach and play on those teams. Do they act and play in a way that I find attractive, or not?
Teams aren’t static, so I’m not tied to them for the rest of my life. They have evolved, and some are simply more likeable, more empathetic, and more capable than others.
Hansen once had obligations to the All Blacks and New Zealand, but now has none. He should be free to do business whenever and wherever he pleases.
Admittedly, I’m not so idealistic about the All Blacks as to say that anyone who has been in that environment should never park their wagon elsewhere.
In Hansen’s case, it would be nice to have him as a head coach in another country. He was spoiled with the talent he had here, so I think he’ll struggle against most teams, but when his team plays against the All Blacks, his involvement will definitely get him interested. would increase
After all, we are talking about professional sports.
As I touched on earlier, Hansen immediately went to damage control here. He quickly published his version of events, making everything seem as innocent as possible.
But my point is, he doesn’t have to. We as viewers need to be more mature in this regard.
The team should not be in a position to immediately call fouls when coaches and players move jobs elsewhere.
Hansen is owed nothing to New Zealand Rugby, nor to any coach or player for that matter.
After all, we can get pretty sick of things we don’t need anymore.
