Northern hemisphere rugby teams are no longer the easy beats they once were, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says going into his side's Test with Wales in Cardiff this week.
After a disastrous run that saw only Southern hemisphere sides reach the semi-finals at the 2015 World Cup, the Northern hemisphere sides have drastically altered their play, thanks to an influx of New Zealand and Australian coaches.
England have been taken over by Australia's Eddie Jones, while Wales and Ireland are led by Kiwis Warren Gatland and Joe Schmidt respectively - which helped to improve both results and playing style of the Northern hemisphere sides.
"They've obviously had a look at how their game was being played at that time and needed to make some changes," Steve Hansen said at this morning's media conference.
"England, Scotland, Ireland and now Wales are all changing how they play - it bodes well for rugby if you like seeing the ball getting chucked around."
SHARE ME