BACK in 2010, when one or two suckers for journalistic punishment were huddled together on a God-forsaken touchline in Hamilton watching the All Blacks prepare for a Test match with Wales, the silver-ferned assistant coach Steve Hansen materialised out of the gloaming.
“Tell me about this bloke Armitage,” he said, looking ahead, as was his wont, to the threat England might pose at the following year’s World Cup.
“There are two of them,” we informed him. “The flanker,” he responded. “Steffon. He has something about him, I reckon.”
We told Hansen that the selectors would not pick him ahead ...