Steve Hansen on All Blacks vs France Nations Championship 2026

Steve Hansen joins Rugby Unity to break down the opening weekend of the Nations Championship and Nations Cup, and the reaction is overwhelmingly positive. With David Pembroke and Ewen McKenzie, he looks at why the concept already feels more meaningful than standalone Test matches, where rugby is still making it too hard for fans to follow the competition, and what stood out from a huge weekend of international rugby. The discussion centres on the All Blacks’ high-quality win over France, the early signs of change under Dave Rennie, the importance of tempo, skill and counterattack, and Japan’s major win over Italy under Eddie Jones, with plenty of insight into Ruben Love, Roigard, Warner Dearns, Michael Leitch and where both New Zealand and Japan are heading next.

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In this episode:
00:00 🏉 Steve Hansen joins Rugby Unity to review opening weekend
02:00 🌍 Nations Championship concept excites, but fan experience still needs work
04:10 🌸 Japan’s win over Italy is bigger than many realised
05:40 ⚫ All Blacks v France delivers a high-quality opener
07:15 ⚡ What already looks different under Dave Rennie
08:40 🇫🇷 Why France remain so dangerous even without full-strength stars
11:00 🎥 TMO pressure and the growing influence of the TV producer
13:00 🌟 Ruben Love, Roigard and the New Zealand players who stood out
16:00 🔟 The modern 10, ball-playing tight five forwards and New Zealand’s attacking shift
20:10 🇯🇵 Why Eddie Jones’ Japan are building into a real threat

Call to action:
📌 Who was your standout player from All Blacks? Who would you pick for the next game?

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