RugbyRebels

Playing:
The 4 year age difference makes it unlikely they met in any school or age-group rep fixtures. Warren was only about 17 when Hansen made his senior debut for Canterbury in 1980, after which the younger man played Waikato and Northern Region Schools, Waikato Colts and Waikato A.

As far as I can tell, the only time Hansen and Gatland would have possibly played against each other would have been in the Canterbury v Waikato NPC fixture in 1987. Gats debuted in 1986 for Waikato which that year having a 1 season spell in Div 2. Waikato was promoted for 1987, and Canterbury won their Div 1 round robin match 30-4. Both men were in their respective senior squads but I can’t confirm if either man definitely played. Gatland was generally a nailed on starter but Hansen was only capped 21 times in 7 years.


Coaching:
It’s not clear to me whether Hansen coached any Canterbury clubs after retiring as a player in 1987, but it seems likely he would have in order to pick up the Canterbury job in 1996. Even if he did, I doubt that any of them either hosted or visited Taupiri in 1989 when Warren held the reins as player/coach.

From then until 1994, Gats was in Ireland coaching the Galwegians. Again, I can’t be definitive but I doubt any NZ club Hansen was involved with would have had a fixture against that side.

In 1996, both men were coaching NPC teams in New Zealand. Hansen’s Canterbury were yet to break Auckland’s grip on the 1st Div crown, Gatland’s Thames Valley was newly promoted to the 2nd Div. So they would not have meet in the NPC and did not play each other in a friendly either.

Gatland then returned to Ireland and I’m confident that neither Connacht (1996-98) nor Ireland (1998-2001) played Hansen's Canterbury or the Crusaders.

Hansen took a New Zealand A team to Europe in 2001 (alongside the full All Black team). I doubt that Gatland was involved with any of their opposition (French Barbarians 21-23, Wales A 30-9, France Universities 33-21, Romania 82-9).

Hansen then moved the Welsh national side, while Gats went to Wasps in London so they would not have met.

Hansen came home to help with the All Blacks from 2004, as did Gats for Waikato in 2005 and later the Chiefs, again ruling out any confrontations.

In 2008, Gatland began his turn in Wales, during which he has lost 7 times to the All Blacks – 5 with Hansen as assistant and twice when he was head.

Slow day?

Lizard wrote:Playing:
It is highly unlikely they met in any fixture ever as, as far as I can tell, the only time Hansen and Gatland would have possibly played against each other would have been in the Canterbury v Waikato NPC fixture in 1987.


Coaching:
It is highly unlikely they met until when, in 2008, Gatland began his turn in Wales, during which he has lost 7 times to the All Blacks – 5 with Hansen as assistant and twice when he was head.

Edited to remove most of the superfluous information.

Mellsblue wrote:

Lizard wrote:Playing:
It is highly unlikely they met in any fixture ever as, as far as I can tell, the only time Hansen and Gatland would have possibly played against each other would have been in the Canterbury v Waikato NPC fixture in 1987.


Coaching:
It is highly unlikely they met until when, in 2008, Gatland began his turn in Wales, during which he has lost 7 times to the All Blacks – 5 with Hansen as assistant and twice when he was head.

Edited to remove most of the superfluous information.

Good work, although had I limited myself to those key details, I might have been denying someone the chance to point out that in fact Hansen played in La Rochelle from 1988-1990 (this is true) and they had a tour match against Gatland's Galwegians or something (this is speculation).

They could also have noted that in fact Steve Hansen did coach a club in Christchurch (High School Old Boys) as well as having a role at Canterbury's academy.

Hansen was an ex dectective. Which is where he met (I think) Mike Cron. I think they started up Quintins pies, pies made by cops.

I know his son, he was a bouncer, first time I saw him he was chasing some bloke around a car and grabbed him and slammed him on the car. It was funny.

Even funnier story.

He used to get pissed, massively pissed. Big shaved head prop this guy is, about 6'2. He'd come home from a night out and vom in his back yard. At the time he was living in his parents sleepout. Every morning he would wake up and find the spew had disappeared. Turns out his dog was eating it. So he goes and trains his dog to eat his spew mid-flight. Basically, he'd vom and his dog would jump up and catch it. One nice summer Sunday morning he stumbles out of his sleepout nude and takes a piss on the lawn. Still half cut with morning wood. Feels the need to puke. Calls his dog over. Voms. Dog catches it. Job done.

Looks over to his back porch to see his mum and half a dozen of her work mates having a cup of tea.

Another one.

Gets home from playing rugby one day. Gets cramp in the shower. Seering pain apparently. Falls over and can't get back up. Pains so bad he shits himself and vomits on himself too. Has to call mum to help him get up.

Class. You can't teach it.

I must confess to being a bit nervous as to where the anecdote was headed after "morning wood" and "mum".