Hansen backs Cheika and compares him to Manchester United managers

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has pointed to Sir Alex Ferguson's success at Manchester United as a reason why the Wallabies should stick by Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.

The legendary Manchester United manager was extremely close to being sacked after three years in charge of the English powerhouse before going onto be the most successful manager in the sport's history.

The All Black head coach shot to the defence of his Australian counterpart after naming his team in Tokyo on Thursday.

"It’s not for me to say what’s right for Australian rugby but what I do know is that continuity has been proven over and over and over again to be a pretty good recipe," he said.

"You look at Sir Alex Ferguson, he just about got sacked and went on to do the job for 30 years. He wasn’t too bad.

"Mourinho is probably in a similar boat at the moment, they’re going decide what they’re going to do with him because they’re not going as well as they’d like. 

"I just think sometimes we pull the trigger too quickly on the coach and sometimes I guess it is warranted but most of the time I don’t think it is. 

"I think it’s a good thing they’ve given the players a platform that’s secure because they know the coach is secure.

"Once that happens people can get on and do what they have to do."