Hansen takes it on the chin

IT can’t have been easy after all the high hopes and hype generated by the big victory over Scotland.

But the Welsh coach Steve Hansen took it on the chin yesterday when he faced a media throng that included a whole host of former Welsh stars, ranging from the great Bleddyn Williams in the 50s through Gerald Davies in the 70s right up to Derwyn Jones of the 1990s.

To a man, they had expected a whole lot more from the Dragons. Hansen, to his credit, didn’t flinch and called it as he saw it. Ireland were too good, he accepted, in every phase of play and the scoreline of 36-15 was a fair reflection of how the game went.