Steve Hansen mocks ‘Mickey Mouse’ Wallabies rival
Kiwi coach cranks up World Cup ante by saying Cheika is vulnerable to mind games
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has reportedly kicked off his World Cup sledging campaign early by likening underfire Wallabies mentor Michael Cheika to Mickey Mouse. Hansen, whose team defeated Cheika’s Australia in the 2015 World Cup final, also said the Wallabies coach is vulnerable to mind games because he has trouble controlling his emotions, news website Stuff reported. It said Hansen made the remarks after being questioned about Australian great Mark Ella’s comment in 2016 that “Mickey Mouse could coach the All Blacks to victory” given the quality of New Zealand’s players. “They’ve got Mickey Mouse coaching Aussie,” Hansen told a ticket-only charity function in Wellington on Monday night. Hansen, who will step down after the World Cup in Japan in 2019, said it is possible to distract Cheika by using niggling ploys such as refusing to use his name before matches. “The plan was not to call him by his name but just say he’s the Australian coach. Then he went on a tirade about not ...
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