Hansen defends Barrett over penalty

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Steve Hansen says he will not punish Beauden Barrett over the All Blacks flyhalf’s gamesmanship in their draw with the Springboks last weekend.

Barrett was spotted nudging the ball a few metres forward to make a crucial penalty kick easier while referee Nic Berry had his back turned in conversation with captain Kieran Read.

A South African fan spotted the incident and posted the video on social media, leading to plenty of heated debate over gamesmanship in rugby.

Speaking at the squad announcement for the Bledisloe Cup Tests against the Wallabies, Hansen said Barrett was simply doing what many kickers had done before.

‘Look, the media have watched a lot of footy from club level right to the very highest level; I would say most goal-kickers have done that at some point in their time,’ Hansen told Stuff.co.nz.

‘Is it right? Probably not, but they all do it. Is it any different than when you get a penalty and kick for touch and end up taking two strides past the mark to kick it out? It’s just what happens in footy.’

Sharks and Springbok flyhalf Curwin Bosch had also defended Barrett’s actions, tweeting: ‘We all do this. Look at penalties kicked to touch and tell me if you find someone who kicks it on the mark.’

Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

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