Steve Hansen

Coles reacted with incredulity three weeks ago when told Hansen had been advising New Zealand's fierce rivals at the behest of his friend Wallabies coach Eddie Jones.

"Shag (Hansen), what are you up to?," a stunned Coles told reporters.

"That hurts a little bit, to be fair. I'm just gobsmacked. I know he's quite tight with Eddie, they're really good mates, but he's a bit of an icon in the All Blacks set-up."

Hansen led the All Blacks in over 100 tests and to the World Cup title in 2015, so there were plenty of eyebrows raised, not least in New Zealand, when it was announced he would help rivals Australia with their preparations in France this week.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins even joked Hansen should lose his citizenship.

But Jones sees his presence as a chance to have a critical look at the Wallabies' processes and offer advice if needed.

"I have coached against Steve since 1998. We have a long relationship and we enjoy each other's company," Jones said.

In one of the most unlikely coaching developments in recent years, Hansen is helping the Wallabies in an advisory role as they prepare for a warm-up match against France in Paris on Sunday.

Hansen, who led the All Blacks to victory over Australia in the 2015 World Cup final, has agreed to share some of his insights before the Wallabies kick off their campaign against Georgia on September 9.

The issue of fan retention for Super Rugby has been a constant for NZR and SANZAAR for years but after a short injection of numbers immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic, figures have fallen back to alarming lows.

In fact, just 12,000 fans turned up for last week's Super Rugby quarter-final between the Blues and Waratahs at Eden Park.

In contrast, almost 24,000 fans turned up to Go Media Stadium (Mount Smart) the week before for the Warriors' round robin game against the Dolphins.

Jones was sacked by England earlier this month after a poor run of form.

"I'm very much looking forward to returning to Twickenham Stadium - a venue I have so many fond memories of," said Jones.

"I'm more motivated than ever to put on a show."

The World XV will be overseen by former All Blacks coach Hansen, against whom Jones and England achieved a 2019 World Cup semi-final victory.

"Going up against Steve rekindles a great rivalry which first started in our days competing in Super Rugby and progressed into the international arena," added Jones.

Hansen came out firing in an interview with Today FM's Tova O'Brien after weeks of fierce public criticism of the All Blacks, with coach Ian Foster forced to take all the flak while NZ Rugby stayed silent.

That appears to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for Hansen, whose criticism will put NZ Rugby under intense pressure to respond.

The 36-year-old, who earned 43 test caps over eight years and won a World Cup in 2015, even thought Hansen “hated him”.

Messam particularly copped plenty of stick from Hansen, who was then an assistant coach under Graham Henry, in 2009, after the then 25-year-old started at No 8 and had a match to forget during a shock 27-22 loss against France in Dunedin.

“A lot of things didn't go well for me – I fell off a few tackles, I probably didn't put in enough back-to-back efforts – and I can remember it so clearly," Messam wrote in a column for The XV.

In an interview with Stuff, Hansen said New Zealand owed Australia nothing in a week where tensions have escalated between the two nations following the revelations of findings from the Aratipu review into the future of Super Rugby.

The review has been undertaken to find ways to improve and re-shape the competition in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with one suggestion being an increase in Kiwi teams and a reduction of Australian sides in a trans-Tasman tournament.

Hansen's eight-year tenure at the New Zealand helm ended following the Rugby World Cup bronze final win over Wales, a semi-final defeat to England having denied him a shot at a second title.

NZR confirmed the search for his successor was under way in a statement released on Wednesday, in which the organisation said it had invited "applications from a small group of coaches familiar with New Zealand's professional rugby environment".

Cane went for an HIA at halftime in Yokohama, and passed it, but he did not return to the field with his teammates for the second half.

Match officials determined Cane had spent too much time off the field and so could not return, despite passing the concussion test.

According to World Rugby regulations, if a player is unable to return from an HIA after 10 minutes, or directly following the 15 minute halftime break, then he must be replaced.