New Zealand coach Steve Hansen has dismissed a defeatist comment by South Africa counterpart Allister Coetzee as “reverse psychology” ahead of a Rugby Championship clash this weekend. 
Speaking after a 27-27 draw with Australia last weekend, Coetzee said those who believe his inexperienced Springboks can easily topple the All Blacks “is living in a fool’s paradise”.
Coetzee has suffered three humiliating losses to New Zealand since he replaced Heyneke Meyer last year – 41-13 in Christchurch, 57-15 in Durban and 57-0 in Auckland. 
The Auckland annihilation last month was the heaviest defeat suffered by the Springboks in their 126-year history.
“It is reverse psychology,” insisted Hansen yesterday in Cape Town, where the teams meet Saturday before a sell-out 52,000 crowd in Newlands stadium. 
“Believe it if you (the media) want to, but we will not be,” stressed the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning coach.
“You have got to understand what Allister is up to with that comment – he is psyching his own team up.”
Hansen watched on TV the stalemate between South Africa and Australia in Bloemfontein and believed the home side could have won.
“I thought they (South Africa) were pretty dangerous and had they just been more accurate at times, they would have scored some more points.”
Hansen believes New Zealand were flattered by the 57-point triumph at Eden Park in which the reigning world champions scored eight tries.
“The fact that the score got away probably was not a true reflection. We were pretty fortunate. Every opportunity we created, we took.”
The 57-year-old former policeman said winning the Rugby Championship last weekend for the fifth time in six attempts in no way diminished the significance of the Cape Town Test.
“You know the All Blacks and you know that they are under pressure all the time to win and win well. Winning the title last weekend does not change anything. The fact that we have won the Championship is obviously pleasing, but we are playing against the old foe with a lot of history and we have a lot of respect for them.”
Hansen left backs Ryan Crotty and Lima Sopoaga and forwards Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane and Liam Squire in New Zealand last week to rest.
Spared the long journey to Argentina, where the All Blacks triumphed 36-10, they have arrived in Cape Town, bar Retallick, whose partner miscarried.
Waisake Naholo, Luke Romano, Vaea Fifita, Ardie Savea and Ngani Laumape have returned to New Zealand after playing in Buenos Aires.
“I think this is the toughest week we have but we are pretty lucky we’ve got a lot of guys who have done this trip before,” Kiwi hooker Dane Coles told a news conference.
It takes three separate flights over more than 24 hours to get from the Argentine capital to Cape Town. New Zealand have only had a regeneration session in the pool since and will probably not take to the practice field before Thursday, some 48 hours before the game.
“It’s a shorter week, we are not on the field that much and there are a lot more meetings and emphasis on recovery. But that’s a good challenge,” Coles said.

‘Beast’ key as Boks bid to match All Blacks in the scrum
South Africa will again rely heavily on experienced prop Tendai Mtawarira in whict they expect to be a bruising scrum confrontation with New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The powerfully-built Zimbabwe-born loosehead prop, a cult figure in South Africa whose nickname is chanted by spectators when he drives forward with ball in hand, is expected to win his 96th cap in Saturday’s test at Newlands,
“Beast is comfortable where he is in his career now, he’s such an integral figure in the team,” Springbok scrum coach Matthew Proudfoot told reporters yesterday.
“When he stands up and talks the guys listen. Beast is really focused on what he wants to achieve and he had taken to heart the parameters that were set at the beginning of the year in terms of conditioning and work rate.”
South Africa will be hoping to prove much more competitive than they were last month when the New Zealand handed them a record 57-0 drubbing in Auckland. “With the All Blacks, it’s very physical in the scrums, they come straight at you. They aren’t too bothered with too many tricks, it is a straight contest,” Proudfoot said.
“To have a guy with 95 caps in your team, that’s a lot of valuable experience. The most experienced South African prop of all-time. Experience counts for everything, especially in the front row you only learn the trade by being at he coal face,” Proudfoot added.
“But it’s not only his scrumming ability but his defensive play, his passing. He’s an ex-back row forward that has that skill and he’s comfortable doing that. Mtawarira had a break from Super Rugby after the June series against France.
“He came into form after that,” Proudfoot said. “It’s important to give those kinds of breaks to senior players.
“At the age of 32, he is not letting the younger guys better him. So when he sets that sort of work ethic, it’s very easy for the younger guys to follow.”


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