ALL BLACKS HEAD coach Steve Hansen has voiced his displeasure with Pat Lam over Steven Luatua’s move to Bristol.
Lam, who guided Connacht to a stunning Guinness Pro12 triumph last season, will swap Galway for the city in the south-west of England at the end of this campaign and he has already begun his recruitment process.
Luatua, 25, has 15 international caps to his name and was involved with Hansen’s setup on their European tour last November, playing in their 68-10 defeat of Italy.
But the back row, who can also play at lock, has decided to take up a lucrative offer with the English club and is essentially putting his international career on hold.
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Lam knows Luatua well from his time at Super Rugby franchise the Blues, the versatile forward having worked under the current Connacht boss during his final season at the helm in Auckland.
However, Hansen is clearly disappointed to have lost another player to an overseas club, Luatua’s departure coming after fly-half Aaron Cruden agreed a big-money move to French side Montpellier.
“It’s always disappointing when you lose a good player, regardless of who he is,” Hansen told Stuff.co.nz.
“In this case it’s double disappointing because of the lack of communication,” Hansen said. “It wasn’t as if we were able to engage in the process.
“Some agents once they get an offer they’ll come to the table and negotiate; others don’t. Steven’s crew didn’t want to talk because they are fearful we are going to change these guys’ minds, which is disappointing.
“He spoke briefly to the contracts team, and he’s been tapped on the shoulder by Pat Lam which is disappointing too.
“If you’re an ex-New Zealander you should be a bit mindful about players’ careers. But when they decide to go you’ve got to support them. Steven has made that decision so we’ll do that.”
Luatua has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot with the All Blacks since making his debut in 2013 as he has had to compete a blindside berth with the likes of Liam Messam, Jerome Kaino and Liam Squire.
He also has a rather colourful history with Hansen, as the New Zealand boss publicly criticised Luatua over his fitness levels in May 2014.
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'You're an ex-New Zealander, you should be mindful about players' careers' - Hansen has pop at Lam
ALL BLACKS HEAD coach Steve Hansen has voiced his displeasure with Pat Lam over Steven Luatua’s move to Bristol.
Lam, who guided Connacht to a stunning Guinness Pro12 triumph last season, will swap Galway for the city in the south-west of England at the end of this campaign and he has already begun his recruitment process.
Luatua, 25, has 15 international caps to his name and was involved with Hansen’s setup on their European tour last November, playing in their 68-10 defeat of Italy.
But the back row, who can also play at lock, has decided to take up a lucrative offer with the English club and is essentially putting his international career on hold.
Lam knows Luatua well from his time at Super Rugby franchise the Blues, the versatile forward having worked under the current Connacht boss during his final season at the helm in Auckland.
However, Hansen is clearly disappointed to have lost another player to an overseas club, Luatua’s departure coming after fly-half Aaron Cruden agreed a big-money move to French side Montpellier.
“It’s always disappointing when you lose a good player, regardless of who he is,” Hansen told Stuff.co.nz.
“In this case it’s double disappointing because of the lack of communication,” Hansen said. “It wasn’t as if we were able to engage in the process.
“Some agents once they get an offer they’ll come to the table and negotiate; others don’t. Steven’s crew didn’t want to talk because they are fearful we are going to change these guys’ minds, which is disappointing.
“He spoke briefly to the contracts team, and he’s been tapped on the shoulder by Pat Lam which is disappointing too.
“If you’re an ex-New Zealander you should be a bit mindful about players’ careers. But when they decide to go you’ve got to support them. Steven has made that decision so we’ll do that.”
Luatua has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot with the All Blacks since making his debut in 2013 as he has had to compete a blindside berth with the likes of Liam Messam, Jerome Kaino and Liam Squire.
He also has a rather colourful history with Hansen, as the New Zealand boss publicly criticised Luatua over his fitness levels in May 2014.
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