Nuggets’ golden achievement
IT was as if the All Blacks circled the wagons on Sunday morning.
They were being criticised. Their head coach, Ian Foster, was facing the sack.
They were in the test of their lives at the cauldron of Ellis Park, Johannesburg. They were against the world champions, a team which trounced them the previous weekend. They had lost five of the last six matches.
“We back him 100%,” star player Ardie Savea said of Foster after their upset 3523 win. “We have his back.”
They played for Foster, and they played for each other. They exhibited power, passion and skill. Their finish was remarkable, down to 14 men and behind with 13 minutes to play.
The test was dramatic. It could have easily gone the other way but for a few referee calls and a few key moments. Nevertheless, the All Blacks were superior on the day, and the scoreboard is what counts.
But will this victory be enough for Foster?
The dramas continue off the field. Foster himself said he had “no idea” if he would be coaching the All Blacks against Argentina in a fortnight. New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson was noncommittal.
Whatever happens, this is messy. If coachinwaiting Scott Robertson takes over immediately, he would insist on his own assistants, likely of course to include Jason Ryan from the Crusaders, brought in recently by Foster. His firstchoice team would also differ from Foster’s lineup.
If the All Blacks had lost the second test, Foster would have been gone. It is even probable that provisional decisions had been made, no matter the Johannesburg outcome.
If Foster keeps his job, the axe will still be hanging, no matter the words from New Zealand Rugby and whatever further tweaks are put in place.
Foster has accused the media of “vicious” attacks, a symptom of the pressure he is under. While, as usual, the social media age and anonymous comments sometimes appal, mainstream analysts could be expected to be highly critical of Foster’s results and therefore his performance. That’s not “personal”. Generally, the media regard him as a fine person.
Foster should try being a losing English football manager.
Is this win a swallow that does not portend a bright summer, a oneoff against a slightly complacent and slightly off South Africa? Or in Savea’s words is it “a start” as the All Blacks recover their mojo, their teamwork, their tactics?
Whatever happens, there will be more drama.
The high ball is hoisted. NZR must catch it and respond decisively. It must sack Foster or fully back him. Unfortunately, its performance, too, over the past year engenders little confidence.
NEVER underestimate the usagainsttheworld mentality in sport.
That was an ingredient in the unexpected triumph in the National Basketball League by the Otago Nuggets at the weekend.
The team only confirmed their place in the finals at the last hurdle. They then had to win three games in four days.
This is the Nuggets who not that many years ago broke records for a losing streak. They also ran out of money and closed up shop for several seasons before returning in 2020.
As beaming coach
Brent
Matehaere said: “It’s just the guys tuning in and having that desire, wanting to prove the pundits wrong.”
He, captain Sam Timmins, two superb American imports and the whole team stood up against the favoured opposition and beat hometown Auckland Tuatara 8173.