SA critics lash ABs as ‘imposters’

The ‘‘fragile’’ All Blacks have been pilloried in South Africa where they are seen as increasingly desperate ahead of their two tests there against the world champion Springboks.

New Zealand’s poor performances in the test series loss to Ireland and subsequent upheavals in the All Blacks coaching lineup haven’t gone unnoticed in rugbymad South Africa where they eagerly anticipate adding to Ian Foster’s troubles.

Their merciless media have gone as far as having Foster in charge of ‘‘the worst coached and selected All Blacks match-day squads since the game turned professional in 1996’’ and labelled his team ‘‘imposters’’ when compared to ‘‘the Mighty McCaw World Champion Class of 2011-2015’’.

Foster’s coaching pedigree was described as ‘‘substandard’’ and his sacking of his assistants hit a raw nerve in South Africa.

‘‘The decision over the weekend to drop John Plumtree – one of the most experienced coaches in world rugby and a name well-known to South African fans – alongside Brad Mooar from the coaching team has not only sent out a few shock waves in an already shuddering New Zealand rugby environment, but it has also made them the scapegoats of the recent series loss to Ireland,’’ wrote veteran South African rugby scribe Brenden Nel in his latest column for SuperSport.

‘‘While head coach Ian Foster has kept his job – against public opinion and on the background of some of the worst media management after the loss the country had seen – Plumtree and Mooar have been made the culprits for the All Blacks not fronting up to the Irish forwards and current Crusaders assistant coach Jason Ryan has come into the coaching set-up.’’

Nel noted that Ryan was seen as a ‘‘rolling mauls specialist’’ amidst claims the Crusaders hadn’t conceded a try in that area for the last five years. But he said the Crusaders hadn’t played a South African side in the last three seasons and this was an area of undoubted strength in the Springboks.

The ongoing decline of Foster’s All Blacks has seen Mark Keohane, another veteran South African rugby writer, also voice a strong opinion at keo.co.za.

He could find room for only two All Blacks – wing Will Jordan and No 8 Ardie Savea – in his July World XV and hit out hard at Foster.

‘‘Ireland were outstanding in the first 20 minutes of the opening test defeat in Auckland and transferred those 20 minutes into 160 minutes in the final two tests, which they won,’’ Keohane wrote.

‘‘But as good as the Irish played, this is the worst coached and selected All Blacks match-day squads I have reported on since the game turned professional in 1996. They are imposters,’’ continued Keohane when comparing the current team to ‘‘the Mighty McCaw World Champion Class of 2011-2015’’.