Olympics Rio 2016: All Blacks coach Hansen demands inquest after New Zealand’s rugby sevens failure

New Zealand Rugby wanted two medals, but the men fell short after losing 12-7 to Fiji, though the women claimed silver after a final defeat to Australia.

The men’s side, led by coach Sir Gordon Tietjens, only beat Kenya as they suffered a shock loss to Japan, while Great Britain also triumphed over the All Blacks.

Hansen meanwhile, who guided their 15s team to World Cup glory in 2015, wants to ensure the same mistakes are not made again.

"Everyone will come back and review the process and we'll learn some lessons as we always do. It took us a while to win a World Cup [after 1987],” said Hansen, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.

“We've just got to make sure we don't paper over things - we've got to look at it honestly and genuinely as a rugby-playing group, the sevens, the All Blacks and the Rugby Union itself, and see how we can do it better because it's an opportunity to showcase rugby from New Zealand."

One defining factor saw loose forward Ardie Savea pull out of the squad during the build-up to concentrate on the 15s, with the 22-year-old going onto impress for the All Blacks and the Hurricanes.

"There's a definite conflict," Hansen added. "It's been difficult for the players hasn't it? Some have chosen to go and some have chosen to stay

“I think if they had a clear calendar before the Olympics when there wasn't any test rugby you would see a lot more people wanting to go.

“At the same time, it emphasises the players' thoughts about how they feel about the All Black jersey and for that matter their franchise. A lot of players made the decision to stay and try to win a championship for their franchise.”

Savea’s decision to leave the sevens setup proved fruitful however, as he impressed for the All Blacks against Wales in June, while he also helped the Hurricanes to a maiden Super Rugby title.