Sir Steve Hansen: Sam Whitelock's legacy passes into rugby 'folklore'

Former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen has heaped praise on retiring All Blacks legend Sam Whitelock, making a point of putting the lock's name next to the giants of the game.

Whitelock's accolades span decades and read as a who's who of rugby's greatest accomplishments; World Cups, Rugby Championships, age grade championships, Super Rugby titles, Bledisloe Cups and much, much more.

The 35-year-old has his share of personal records to his name as well, becoming the all-time most capped All Black with the most game wins in Rugby World Cup history including a stretch of 18 games where he went undefeated at the tournament.

Many of those records and trophies came under the tutelage of Hansen in a historic era of dominance by the All Blacks. Perhaps no one is in a better position than the coach to speak to the quality of player that Whitelock has been and the legacy he leaves behind.

Speaking to 1News following the news of Whitelock's retirement this week, Hansen said Whitelock was a "bit of an overthinker because he really cared."

"Most overthinkers really want to be successful, and right from day one he really wanted to be a great All Black, not just an All Black, not just there making up the numbers. They’re the athletes you want because you can do something with them, because they want to do something themselves. He just got better and better.

“I think he’s a modern-day Colin Meads. He will be in folklore.

“I certainly put him in the same category as [Richie] McCaw, [Kieran] Read, [Dan] Carter... all those legends that we’ve had. He came very close to being the first All Black to lift the [World Cup] trophy three times.

“He’s the full package. He’s not somebody that went out and played rugby and cared about himself. He cared about everybody. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Another coach who was a big part of Whitelock's journey is new All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson, who was involved in all seven of Whitelock's Super Rugby titles. He added: "Sam is an immortal of our incredible game.

“First and foremost, he is a quality person. A great husband and father who has a special ability to build deep connections with people from all walks of life.

“In terms of his rugby, Sam’s impact has been immense both mentally and physically over four World Cup cycles. He is a winner who rose to any occasion as his competitive spirit drove him to the highest level of performance.

“Sam will stand with the greats of our game.”