The All Blacks have paid tribute to coach Steve Hansen, as he enters his final week in charge of the New Zealand side.
Regardless of the result, Friday night's Rugby World Cup bronze medal match against Wales will be Hansen's last as All Blacks coach, having been involved in the New Zealand set-up since 2004.
Preparing for his final Test in charge, Hansen is yet to address the prospect of leaving his role as All Blacks coach, although that didn't stop his support staff and players from doing exactly that, fronting media this afternoon.
"It is a special week," assistant coach Ian Foster said.
"He's a special man, he's done a fantastic job [and] continues to do it. Our expectation is that he does it for another week.
"Then we'll sit down and have a really good yak at it, because it's been a special time with him."
Occasional captain Sam Cane is also thankful for the influence that Hansen's had on his career, calling him into the squad as a 20-year-old, playing 63 Tests since.
"I owe a lot to Steve, he was the guy that selected me for the All Blacks [for] the first time," Cane said.
"He's been my only All Blacks coach. He's a pretty special coach, he's got a really good feel for the group.
"He's a little bit more than a coach, he allows the other coaches to execute their roles. He's just a very intuitive coach, he's not always on the money, but he's not far off it.
"I consider myself pretty lucky to have been coached by him for eight years now. He won't want to talk about it being his last game, he's pretty driven on us finishing on a good note."
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