ABs end bizarre season with more silverware
The overall mission didn’t unfold exactly as Ian Foster hoped, but he’s happy – and no doubt relieved – the All Blacks have won the Tri-Nations.
From the confines of a hotel in New Zealand, where he has been in quarantine since November 29, All Blacks coach Foster watched the Wallabies and Pumas draw 16-16 in Sydney and hand the All Blacks the Tri-Nations title on Saturday night.
Not that the Wallabies and Pumas had much chance of claiming the silverware. This was their Mission Impossible.
The Wallabies had to win by 101 points with a bonus point. The Pumas had to run in 93 points, as well as securing a bonus-point victory. Neither looked like getting close.
If Reece Hodge had kicked a penalty in the 80th minute at Bankwest Stadium, the Wallabies would have finished runners-up to the All Blacks.
Instead, the ball breezed outside the right upright, allowing the Pumas to finish second on points differential.
Foster, understandably, was pleased to end his first year as boss with the Bledisloe Cup and the TriNations title in NZ Rugby’s possession.
‘‘We went to Australia with a bit of purpose and certainly winning the Tri-Nations was one of them, against two teams we have a lot of respect for,’’ Foster told Allblacks.com. ‘‘It didn’t quite happen the way we would have ideally wanted it, but the overall outcome, we are really pleased with.’’
Foster’s record for 2020 was three wins, two losses and a draw.
The disappointment of losing to the Pumas for the first time will stay with the All Blacks long after they have departed quarantine, but they will still take comfort from reaching their primary goals of retaining the
Bledisloe and securing the TriNations title.
Although the Pumas hadn’t played together for 13 months before stunning the All Blacks 25-15 in their first clash in Sydney on November 14, Foster reasoned their long period in quarantine in Australia was used wisely.
‘‘Whenever they get a chance to be together and spend time together like in World Cup years, they turn into a real world force,’’ he said. ‘‘So we knew that they would be prepared; underdone but certainly ready.
‘‘So to get away with winning this title – I know we dropped two games, which we were a bit frustrated with – but in the bigger picture we are delighted to have come out on top.’’
Foster, who is contracted to NZ Rugby until the end of 2021 but will want to extend the deal through to the 2023 World Cup, will already be planning for next season – whatever that brings under Covid19 restrictions.
He also praised his new captain Sam Cane for creating a ‘‘calm environment around the team’’ during such a difficult year.
‘‘So it has been a real growth year from that side of it,’’ Foster added. ‘‘Overall I was delighted with the way the squad handled themselves, and the senior players did a fantastic job. As did the large group of new and returning players.’’