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All Blacks coach Steve Hansen describes Kieran Read as a fierce warrior after win over British & Irish Lions

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All Blacks coach Steve Hansen heaped praise on the performance of captain Kieran Read in what was just his fourth game of the year in the 30-15 win over the British & Irish Lions.
EDEN PARK, Auckland — “A fierce warrior” was how Steve Hansen summed up Kieran Read after a quite brilliant performance from the All Blacks captain in their win over the British & Irish Lions on Saturday.
It was Read’s offload that teed up the move for Rieko Ioane’s first try, but this was an all-court showing from the man who has been crowned World Rugby Player of the Year.
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And to think this performance came after he had spent seven weeks out with a thumb injury. If this was Read coming into a match cold, it is slightly frightening to imagine how well he will play with a head of steam behind him.
Hansen hailed Read as “outstanding” and added it was “not a bad night’s work after seven weeks’ ‘holiday'”.
But on a more serious note, he hailed his leadership qualities and integrity but stopped short of drawing any parallels between Read’s performance and his predecessor Richie McCaw.
“They are two different people. To be the All Black captain you’ve got to have a lot of character, courage and be a fierce warrior, ” Hansen said.
“Richie showed that over a number of years and it’s Read’s turn to lead the side. There was no hesitation in asking him to step up. He did it magnificently.”
Read’s Crusaders and All Blacks teammate Owen Franks said he “nailed” the performance after making the most of his time out from the game to prepare for this match.
The Read offload was one of the standout moments in a match packed with incredible skill. It is difficult to determine if there was more than a touch of luck about it, given Read was on the ground, in the midst of red shirts when he flicked the ball to his left. But it came off with Aaron Smith snaffling up the ball, Israel Dagg then taking it up who passed to Ioane who scored.
“You grow up making those plays in the back yard, running around, thinking you’re Christian Cullen or Jonah Lomu making miracle plays, ” Dagg said. “You follow your instincts and that’s what happens with the boys, they followed their instincts and lucky enough it came off tonight.”
The man himself was modesty personified. “Tonight felt pretty good” was his take on his showing, and said his goal was to “play as best I can and lead the team with my performance”.
Despite having the 1-0 lead in the series, there is no danger of complacency seeping into the All Blacks’ camp. It’s not in Read’s DNA.
“You get your result from the work you do throughout the week, ” Read said.
“We’ll turn out next week and be as excited I’m sure. It’s another chance to play against the Lions, an awesome opportunity for us.”

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