By WYNNE GRAY
The All Blacks should begin their year with a victory over England and close with a triumph in the World Cup.
Former Crusaders and New Zealand A coach Steve Hansen offered those thoughts as he and his Welsh squad prepared for their next two tests, against the Wallabies and All Blacks.
"There is so much talent in New Zealand, if they don't win the World Cup there should be an inquiry," Hansen said.
After that long-term forecast, he turned to a short-term prediction that the All Blacks would open their international calendar by beating England in Wellington.
They would reverse the result from Twickenham last November when everything was in England's favour.
"The All Blacks were then at the end of their season, they took a new group of players while England were at full strength on their home patch," said Hansen.
"But this time the All Blacks will have the combination of their experienced players and the younger ones who have come on from that tour and they will be too good for England."
Hansen obviously expects to feel that black heat twice this year.
His side meet the All Blacks after the England test and are in the same group as the men in black at the World Cup.
Wales have stopped off at the Millennium Centre on Auckland's North Shore to prepare for their test against the Wallabies in Sydney, the same day the All Blacks host England.
That plan sounds more Irish than Welsh but Hansen offered several reasons.
Had his side based themselves in Sydney they would have wasted too much time travelling to training.
The Millennium had all the necessary facilities on tap and offered a useful dress rehearsal for Wales' World Cup campaign.
Some with a more sceptical viewpoint might say Wales' location gave better access to Hansen for New Zealand rugby scouts. The former Crusaders coach has been touted as a candidate for several Super 12 vacancies next season.
But Hansen largely dismissed that possibility.
His contract with Wales does not end until the conclusion of the next Six Nations competition.
"I feel I would let the team down if I walked away, unless something drastic went wrong or the Welsh Rugby Union wanted me out," he said.
"Lots of people have contacted me and I am always interested in ideas. But I shook hands on this deal and would like to see it through.
"It has been 22 years since a coach of Wales has fulfilled his contract."
When Hansen coached in New Zealand he tried different schemes such as using twin captains and not releasing his teams until the day of a match.
International rules require teams to be revealed at least two days before a game but Hansen has continued with his novel leadership ideas.
On this trip he has picked four captains - Martyn Williams, Colin Charvis, Robin McBride and Stephen Jones - and maintains that they are all likely to be involved in each test.
So why the quartet of skippers? The side had lost a great deal of experience with the retirement of players such as Scott Quinnell, Rob Howley and Neil Jenkins and needed to maximise the remaining leadership.
They would all guide their sections on the field and one would captain the team.
Favourite for that job might be Williams, a British Lion in 2001 and flanker against the All Blacks in Cardiff last November. This is his first time in New Zealand, a trip which began inauspiciously when the side missed their flight because of pay negotiations.
That debate, said Williams, had been going for about a month and had to be sorted before the trip.
"It was not about us getting more money but rather about its distribution. With the World Cup coming up, we did not want those sort of discussions to be a distraction, we had to get it settled. That has been done."
Williams has played 35 games this season and believes many in his side are nearing fatigue. But they have two more matches before they get a three-week break before beginning preparations for the World Cup.
Wales are in a physical group for that tournament. Apart from the All Blacks, they face Canada, Italy and Tonga. They would watch closely Tonga's game this weekend and also be able to watch Italy when they arrived.
"We hope to go well and with Steve we are trying to play a bit more of an expressive game, because a confrontational style does not suit our physique," Williams said.
Hansen said other issues were moving in the right direction. Although Wales had not been winning on the scoreboard, "we are in a lot of other places".
All Blacks test schedule/scoreboard
Hansen tips NZ to win cup
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