• Warren Gatland still seeking first Wales win over All Blacks• Joseph reportedly now a rival to Foster to succeed Hansen
The bronze medal has turned into the crying game. Not because the physical and emotional investment put into their
World Cup campaigns by
New Zealand and Wales culminates in the anti-climax of a contest in which the winner will still be seen as a loser, but because the two respective head coaches, Steve Hansen and Warren Gatland, are taking their final bows after a combined 20 years in charge.
Hansen, an impassive former policeman who is generally unruffled by the vicissitudes of sport, looked close to tears this week, but for all his disappointment at losing to
England in the semi-final he took what was a chastening defeat with dignity, enhancing his reputation as the senior statesman here, keeping his cool when the temperature rises.