Steve Hansen looked like a man who opened his mail and received an unexpected six-figure tax bill.
The All Blacks coach wasn't tossing around any lighthearted banter with his players when they trained for almost two hours in 27 degree heat at the St Joseph's College grounds, the alma mater of former Wallabies great Michael Lynagh, yesterday.
From the moment he marched off the team bus he looked, and acted, like someone whose mind hadn't stopped whirring since the All Blacks lost 27-25 to the Springboks in Johannesburg.
This was business time for Hansen. He spent most of the session working with the backs, often taking individuals aside to work on their passing skills or body position and then scrutinising backline moves.
Two security guards who patrolled the ground, and at times peeked over the perimeter to make sure no-one was spying, complemented the scene.
So it was no surprise when All Blacks hooker Dane Coles confirmed Hansen didn't hold back when the squad had their review after their arrival in Brisbane on Monday.
"He is a straight shooter … he didn't hold back," Coles stated. "It is not personal; it is for the benefit of yourself and the team.
"A loss does make you a bit shitty, you get a bit of a sore gut I suppose - like something that doesn't sit well. I suppose he is feeling that and making sure we have got an edge."
If a Kiwi told an Aussie that the All Blacks appeared to be in siege-mentality mode ahead of Saturday's dead rubber at Suncorp Stadium the Aussie would collapse with laughter.
And once they had risen from their knees they would then request a message be sent asking the All Blacks to take it easy on their countrymen, whose reputations have been battered by the revelations that have surfaced during the Kurtley Beale saga.
Coles kept to the party line that he hadn't been taking any notice of reports that Wallabies hooker and Ewen McKenzie and his players were at loggerheads.
"When teams get trashed in the media and that kind of stuff it just brings a team closer I would say. When you are backed into a corner you can come out one way, and that is firing."
The bad news for the Wallabies is that the All Blacks selectors may have a full quota of players to select from.
Although Jerome Kaino sat the end of the session with a tender toe and Julian Savea had a sore lower leg, assistant coach Ian Foster was confident their complaints were not serious.
Lock Brodie Retallick showed no ill-effects from the head knock that ruled him out of the South African test.
Lock Jeremy Thrush (head) and centre Conrad Smith (shoulder) were also fully fit after copping knocks against the Boks.
Foster also said the All Blacks will resist making any massive changes to the side that lost at Ellis Park.
"We don't make a lot of changes, particularly after a loss. You kind of want to give those guys a chance to fix things up." Fairfax NZ
