All Blacks prepare for kicking contest

Steve Hansen says New Zealand have prepared for the possibility of the World Cup semi-final being decided by a kicking contest. Hansen has revealed the All Blacks are leaving nothing to chance and are prepared for every eventuality when they clash with England on Saturday. If the match is tied after 80 minutes, two 10-minute periods of extra time will be played. If they still cannot be separated then a further sudden-death period of 10 minutes will follow, when whoever gets the first point will win. After all of that, five players from each team would take kicks at goal to decide the outcome. It would be drama of the highest order and highly unlikely, but Hansen says they would be foolish not to prepare for it. “It’s unlikely it will be decided that way,” said Hansen. “Have we prepared for that? We know those are the rules, so yes. You’d be foolish if you hadn’t prepared for it. “But I would be highly surprised if after 80 minutes, then 10 minutes each way, then sudden-death extra time – by which time there’ll be no-one standing – that someone hasn’t scored some points. “But funnier things have happened, eh?”