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Durban - It is a rare thing to see All Blacks coach Steve Hansen smiling.
That was the case once more following his side's 57-15 annihilation of the Springboks in Durban on Saturday.
Speaking after the match, Hansen was as composed as ever as he won with the grace and humility expected of a fine champion coach.
He was incredibly complimentary of the Springboks and coach Allister Coetzee, and urged the All Blacks not to get carried away despite their record-equalling 17 straight Test wins.
But there was one moment when the New Zealand boss revealed his dry sense of humour.
It came when he was asked about the performance of flyhalf Beauden Barrett.
Now 25-years-old, Barrett has stepped out of the shadow of Dan Carter to emerge as the main man behind this All Black attack.
He struggled with the boot on Saturday, kicking 3 from 7, and was also not at his best in the first half.
But Barrett was simply sublime in the second 40 minutes as he scored two tries himself and guided the All Black attack to a memorable win.
"He's pretty good," Hansen joked.
"They told us we wouldn't be able to replace the other guy (Carter) but we've always said that if you cut down the tall trees the little trees will grow.
"He's growing. He's not the finished article yet and I'm sure Fossie (Ian Foster, backline coach) will have plenty to say about his game tonight."
Hansen had kind words for Barrett's parents, too.
"He's showing us that he's a quality footballer and he has some wonderful attributes that you can't coach; speed being one of them," said Hansen.
"It doesn't matter how good a coach you are, you can't coach people to run faster. We have to thank his mother and father and probably God for those genetics."
