PERENARA EXCITED How does Foster’s record compare to other coaches?

ANALYSIS: All Blacks coach Ian Foster is under mounting pressure to prove he is the right man to lead the team through to next year’s World Cup.

In the wake of Saturday night’s historic first home defeat to Ireland, angst has grown around an All Blacks team that has now lost three of its past four test matches.

Foster is contracted through till the end of the 2023 tournament in France.

But with uber-successful Crusaders coach Scott Robertson at the ready, it’s not like New Zealand Rugby is devoid of options should it desire a late change.

So just how bad is Foster’s record since he took over the team in 2020?

Here’s a breakdown of how it shapes compared to previous All Blacks coaches since World Cups were introduced in 1987.

IAN FOSTER (2020-present)

Tests: 23, Wins: 16, Draws: 1, Losses: 6 Win rate: 69.57% (8th)

Following Saturday’s loss to Ireland, Foster’s win rate has dropped below 70%, which is the* worst of any All Blacks coach in the professional era. His six defeats have come against five different teams, while under his watch, New Zealand have suffered a couple of inglorious firsts – losing to Argentina (in 2020), and being felled at home by the Irish.

STEVE HANSEN (2012-2019)

Tests: 107, Wins: 93, Draws: 4, Losses: 10 Win rate: 86.92% (1st)

Presided over the most tests of any All Blacks coach, and can lay claim to being the best of them all. Suffered the disappointing finish of 2019 World Cup semifinal defeat, and equal-biggestever loss in All Blacks history against the Wallabies earlier that year, but his record in the years prior was magnificent, highlighted by the 2015 World Cup triumph.

GRAHAM HENRY (2004-2011)

Tests: 103, Wins: 88, Draws: 0, Losses: 15 Win rate: 85.44% (3rd)

Like Hansen, was in charge for eight seasons, after managing the seemingly unthinkable and getting reappointed after the All Blacks’ worst World Cup result in history – the quarterfinal exit in 2007. The decision was justified, as Henry led the team to glory in that memorable home tournament four years later, and ended with a win rate only just behind Hansen’s. After what remains the All Blacks’ sole Tri Nations/Rugby Championship wooden spoon, in his first year, the team responded the next with their sweep of the British and Irish Lions.

JOHN MITCHELL (2002-2003)

Tests: 28, Wins: 23, Draws: 1, Losses: 4 Win rate: 82.14% (4th)

Remembered almost more for his ‘‘journey’’ catch-cry and his aloof dealings with the media. But on the park his side played some extraordinary footy, breaking a twoyear Tri Nations drought in going back-to-back there and also reclaiming the Bledisloe Cup in racking up some huge scores. Even at the 2003 World Cup they were looking great. And then came that Stirling Mortlock intercept.

WAYNE SMITH (2000-2001)

Tests: 17, Wins: 12, Draws: 0, Losses: 5 Win rate: 70.59% (7th)

For the man lauded as being one of the game’s sharpest minds, Smith and the All Blacks head coaching role just didn’t work out. A marvellous assistant across two stints, ‘The Professor’ team win here, and being part of that.’’

By beating the All Blacks on their own turf for the first time, couldn’t find the secret ingredients to get the men in black firing. Their two years not winning the Tri Nations/ Rugby Championship remains the longest streak without that piece of silverware.

JOHN HART (1996-1999)

Tests: 41, Wins: 31, Draws: 1, Losses: 9 Win rate: 75.61% (6th)

Hart’s first two years were two of the greatest in All Blacks history. Not only did they claim the first two editions of the Tri Nations and retain the Bledisloe Cup, they made history in 1996 as the first All Blacks side to win a series in South Africa. It quickly turned pear-shaped in 1998, though, with the five defeats on the bounce remaining the All Blacks’ equal-worst losing streak. Then came the stunning French comeback in the World Cup semifinal the following year.

LAURIE MAINS (1992-1995)

Tests: 34, Wins: 23, Draws: 1, Losses: 10 Win rate: 67.65% (9th)

His first season saw the All Blacks relinquish a five-year hold on the Bledisloe Cup, but the following year they won the series against the British and Irish Lions, then the next they went undefeated in a home series against the Springboks. They were then ablaze at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, before a lethal combination of Suzie the Waitress and the fired-up hosts ended in an agonising 15-12 extra-time loss in the final.

ALEX WYLLIE (1988-1991)

Tests: 29, Wins: 25, Draws: 1, Losses: 3 Win rate: 86.21% (2nd)

Big wins over Wales then two victories and a draw on Aussie soil to retain the Bledisloe Cup – a trophy which was retained throughout his tenure. But the All Blacks came unstuck against those Wallabies in the semifinal of the 1991 World Cup – a tournament where Hart had been named a co-coach.

BRIAN LOCHORE (1985-1987)

Tests: 18, Wins: 14, Draws: 1, Losses: 3 Win rate: 77.78% (5th)

The All Blacks relinquished a four-year hold on the Bledisloe Cup in Lochore’s second season in charge. But he will always be remembered as the man at the helm when they then roared to victory in the inaugural World Cup, on home soil, in 1987.