Wait for Foster’s fate set to drag on

The wait for Ian Foster’s fate to be revealed is set to drag on into today. New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) board was to meet yesterday, but it’s understood no such meeting went ahead.

TV crews were camped outside NZR headquarters in Wellington yesterday morning, before being told by a NZR staffer the board was not meeting to decide All Blacks coach Foster’s fate.

NZR was also expected to name the All Blacks’ 36-man squad for the looming Rugby Championship yesterday, only to delay it while they await medical updates on a few players.

The All Blacks, who kick off the Rugby Championship with back-toback games against the world champion Springboks in South Africa on August 7 and 14, will re-group in the capital on Monday morning after their historic series loss to Ireland on home soil.

What the squad looks like is one thing, but what the public eagerly wants to know,, as the coaching saga enveloping the All Blacks drags on, is who will be in charge of the side?

After all, the All Blacks have lost four of their last five tests, and NZR vowed to review the ‘‘unacceptable’’ series defeat.

There has been no shortage of calls for Foster to walk, or be pushed, after his win percentage dropped to 66.7% on the back of a lame duck performance in which the All Blacks looked lost.

It’s understood Foster met with NZR chief executive Mark Robinson on Tuesday, and is unlikely to be given the boot.

However, there could be significant changes to the coaching group, with former Ireland coach and All Blacks selector Joe Schmidt potentially coming on board in a caretaker type role.

Bringing Schmidt in over the heads of assistants such as John Plumtree, Scott McLeod, Greg Feek and Brad Mooar appears to be a nobrainer, given his record of success with Ireland, a team he nurtured to become consistently better than the All Blacks.

Those pining for serial winning Crusaders coach Scott Robertson, who refused to comment on Tuesday, to be handed the job can forget it.

After all, as former All Blacks coach Alex Wyllie said, it’s not practical to bring in a new head coach from the cold less than three weeks out from the first of two tests in South Africa.

Besides, would Robertson even want the job at a time most would see it as a poisoned chalice at this juncture?

Why would he, or any other ambitious coach, want to take on a demoralised team they had no say in picking ahead of the most challenging assignment in world rugby – a visit to South Africa?