All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will be leading a different team for a day while over in Japan after he was made chief of police in the Japanese City of Beppu.
Hansen was given the job for a day as a sign of respect to him and his team, who are staying in the city ahead of their Rugby World Cup match against Canada on Wednesday.
Hansen was decorated in a sash which read "one-day Chief Police officer" and also handed a police officer's hat, which he wore proudly.
"Very humbling to be recognised as the chief of police of Beppu for the day," Hansen told gathered media.
The All Blacks coach doesn’t pass up chances at jokes, particularly when he gets questions like this.
"I don't have a clue how I'm going to run the city. I won't be able to do it as well as my colleague, the real chief."
It won't be a completely new experience for Hansen though, who served in the New Zealand Police for six years before becoming a top rugby coach.
The All Blacks coach is being given the full treatment at the Rugby World Cup.
If all else fails, his more recent experiences as a head coach will help him, he said.
"I guess the big similarity is you're doing things under pressure, you're doing things as a team, you can't be an individual on the police force, you can't be an individual in a game of rugby," he said.
After the short ceremony at the police station, Hansen went on patrol across the city, visiting the tourist information centre of Beppu train station and headed down to a commercial centre.
SHARE ME