ALL BLACKS coach Steve Hansen has lifted the lid further on his uneasy relationship with Wallabies rival Robbie Deans, questioning whether Deans actually wanted the All Blacks job after the 2007 World Cup and claiming he wanted to be portrayed as ''the martyr'' when he didn't get it.

''If you want my honest opinion, I don't think Robbie wanted it [the All Blacks job] anyway,'' Hansen told The Weight of a Nation, a candid two-hour documentary on the story behind the 2011 World Cup that screened in New Zealand on Sunday night. ''I think Robbie had already signed for Australia.

Robbie Deans never wanted the All Blacks' job, says rival Steve Hansen. Credit:Simon Alekna

''I think he just went through the motions and wanted to be the martyr if he didn't get it, so he wins on both sides of the table. That's how I felt about it because you don't go to a [New Zealand Rugby Union] selection meeting and when asked, 'Who is going to be your running mates?' - knowing that the opposition [Graham Henry] has got two pretty good candidates [Hansen and Wayne Smith] behind him - with a wishy-washy answer. He did.

''And that's why he lost the job, from my understanding. So, did he really want the job?''