Wallabies coach Michael Cheika had a meltdown last night and needs to stop whining says All Blacks counterpart Steve Hansen as tensions rumble on between the two camps.
Hansen, clearly annoyed at how the gloss was taken off his team's world record winning streak in tests following their 37-10 victory at Eden Park, was in no mood to let Cheika's comments slide today.
In an extraordinary press conference last night featuring Cheika and captain Stephen Moore, the Wallabies coach suggested the All Blacks didn't respect his team and were working in cahoots with the New Zealand Herald in portraying him as a clown.
After naming his touring squad for the Northern Hemisphere tour, Hansen was in no mood to let it go.
"He's obviously feeling the pressure and had a bit of a meltdown," he said. "The best thing he can do is just stop whining. If he doesn't think people are respecting him then [he should] ask [himself] 'why would the media dress me up as a clown?' And then go and fix those problems," Hansen said.
"He's a good man, and he's under pressure, so we've just go to leave it at that."
Cheika, who flew back to Australia with his team early this morning, was furious at the performance of the match officials, leaving his seat at one stage when Henry Speight's try was disallowed. Hansen's latest comments will not improve his mood.
He had already been provoked by Hansen during the week when the All Blacks coach predicted his backline, correctly picking that rookie Reece Hodge would replace Quade Cooper in the No12 jersey.
A Herald cartoon and yet another defeat for his team completed his misery. The Wallabies haven't held the Bledisloe Cup since 2002. They were in the game last night until the final 20 minutes when the All Blacks again lifted their intensity and poured on 22 unanswered points.
It is 30 years and counting since the Wallabies last won at Eden Park. And now they've been swept in two series by two nations in one year for the first time.
In June, England beat the Wallabies 3-0, with Cheika's former teammate Eddie Jones beating him on and off the park.