Foster remains in limbo
Ian Foster’s anxiety levels are unlikely to have improved the day after the All Blacks’ bounce back victory over the Springboks at Ellis Park, with confirmation his future as coach hangs in limbo before the long haul back to New Zealand.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson confirmed in a media call last night
(NZT) from Johannesburg that they will now ‘‘take stock’’ of the
All Blacks’ situation via a debrief on their arrival home and expect to make a decision on the makeup of the coaching group going forward around the later part of this week.
But Robinson notably would not endorse Foster as All Blacks coach for the remainder of the Rugby Championship, with home clashes against Argentina next up on August 27 in Christchurch and September 3, and said the board, which would meet this week, was ‘‘ultimately responsible for the appointment of the coach’’ and would be given ‘‘insights and information’’
from management via the debrief. Foster said after his team’s 35-23 victory over the Springboks on Saturday night in Johannesburg he had found it tough bearing the brunt of the criticism of recent form struggles – they had lost three tests in a row heading into the Boks rematch at Ellis Park, and five of their previous six since last November’s twin defeats in Dublin and Paris.
‘‘It has been pretty vicious,’’ said Foster of the criticism. ‘‘There’s been a lot of onslaught, particularly from our New Zealand media. They’ve got high expectations of us, and they’ve made that loud and clear. They’ve clearly come very strong at me as a person.’’ Robinson’s confirmation that Foster and his coaching group would now be further assessed once they landed in New Zealand would likely not have eased the head coach’s stress-levels.
The CEO was asked if it was fair to leave his head coach in limbo like this. ‘‘We’ve been having conversations right through this time, we believe we know where we stand and we’ve just got to work through that with him,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ll take stock of the conversations, the information coming out of the camp and comment later in the week.’’
He refused to comment on one suggestion there had been strong words between himself and senior players after the game around the coaching uncertainty, though conceded the situation was not ideal.
‘‘These have been challenging times right through the last few weeks,’’ he added. ‘‘There is a huge amount of passion and speculation, a huge amount of expectation around the team and organisation, and we need to take the time we’ve got to set this team up for everything it needs to be successful.’’
Robinson would not confirm whether a decision had been made or otherwise about the recommended way forward, nor on whether Crusaders supremo Scott Robertson was on standby.
Although the All Blacks uncorked their magic to beat the Springboks 35-23 on Sunday morning, it remains unclear if it was enough to repair the fractured relationship between Ian Foster and NZ Rugby.
It’s an issue that, one way or another, must be resolved with haste.
There’s little time to dither because in a fortnight the All Blacks will play Argentina in their next Rugby Championship match in Christchurch. Everyone – the coaches, players and fans – deserve clarity.
Immediately after the win in Johannesburg, Foster seemed uncertain whether he still had a job. Or perhaps he was keeping that information to himself.
Regardless of who does, or doesn’t, know about what lies in store, one thing is clear: the All Blacks produced their greatest performance under Foster since he took control of the team in 2020.
Yet it remains a mystery whether the magnificent win at Ellis Park was enough to convince NZ Rugby it has got the right man in charge of its flagship team ahead of the World Cup in France next year.
Having lost five of their previous six tests, the most recent the 26-10 defeat to the Springboks on Mbombela a week earlier, Foster and his All Blacks were forced to take a deep breath and accept only they could shovel their way out of the mess that had been created.
It doesn’t get more daunting than playing the Springboks in front of 62,000 fans at 1730 metres above sea level. Yet the All Blacks, despite all the uncertainty about the future of Foster and captain Sam Cane, displayed their character to duck, dive and counterpunch before delivering a devastating uppercut on the chin of the world champion Springboks.
Foster, having brought fresh props Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax and blindside flanker Shannon Frizell into his pack, and with Richie Mo’unga electrifying the attack at No 10, convinced the team it was good enough to reverse its fortunes.
In the space of 80 minutes the All Blacks went a long way to helping frustrated fans forget the 2-1 series loss to Ireland by displaying courage and a wide array of skills.
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber didn’t help his team, either. The decision to bench hooker Malcolm Marx, who created chaos at the breakdowns by making four steals and was the best player on the field in Mbombela,
was difficult to fathom.
Yet, even when Marx did take the park late in the 30th minute, his impact was limited by comparison to the mayhem he caused a week earlier.
The All Blacks refused to buckle, even though the Springboks charged back to take the lead for the first time after Beauden Barrett was yellow carded for obstruction in the 67th minute.
It was as if the rarified air in Jo’burg fuelled the All Blacks with the confidence and zest that was so badly lacking in the first test against the Springboks, as they surged back to put David Havili and Scott Barrett in a position to score late tries.
Argentina, having humiliated the Wallabies 48-17 in San Juan after a loss a week earlier, will soon fly to Christchurch to get set for a battle in the chilly climes of the Garden City.
It just remains to be seen whether Foster will still be in charge of the All Blacks.