Changes coming for All Blacks but Foster, Cane safe
Change is coming for the All Blacks, but not at the helm.
After a week of radio silence following a historic series loss to Ireland, during which speculation mounted over the futures of All Blacks coach Ian Foster and his skipper Sam Cane, some clarity was finally offered yesterday.
‘‘I’m Ian Foster, All Blacks head coach,’’ were Foster’s opening words to the large media contingent assembled at the Novotel Hotel at Auckland Airport, before he launched into a passionate opening gambit, in which he reaffirmed his commitment to turning around the flagging fortunes of the team. ‘‘There’s no doubt I’m under pressure,’’ Foster said. ‘‘But I’m always under pressure. As an All Blacks coach you live in that world all the time. Does it hurt? Yes it does, but the key thing is I do everything I can to make sure we have the right people in the right seats.’’
When it comes to his beleaguered skipper, Foster is adamant he has the right man in the seat. Cane was yesterday confirmed as skipper for the upcoming Rugby Championship, after it was widely tipped Sam Whitelock would take over the captaincy reins as questions over the loose forward’s form mounted.
‘‘I believe in him. I believe in him as a person, as a leader. I think the easiest thing to do when a series doesn’t go your way is to point the finger in blame and want people’s neck,’’ Foster said.
‘‘I’ve got a lot of faith in Sam as a player, as a person, and in the leadership group around him.’’
Foster said in the week since the All Blacks slumped a 2-1 series loss to Ireland there has been a lot of ‘‘robust conversations’’ among the management and leadership group.
Those conversations appear to have led to personnel changes within the All Blacks coaching roster, but Foster was unable to shed any light on what those changes will look like.
‘‘I’ve heard [the public sentiment] that there does need to be some change ... right now I am working behind the scenes to achieve that. You can ask me 100 times what that is, and I won’t be able to give you an answer. I’d like you to bear with me.’’
‘‘We have things in place right now, and as soon as I can let you know,’’ Foster said.
He expected the changes to be in place ‘‘soon’’, but ‘‘out of respect for the process’’ he was unable to offer any further information. However, Foster did confirm that former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, who joined the All Blacks set-up this season as a selector/analyst, will not be travelling to South Africa next week.
Stuff reported yesterday that NZ Rugby management were rethinking the All Blacks’ assistant coaching roster, with the jobs forwards coach John Plumtree and scrum coach Greg Feek considered most at risk.
It is understood that Plumtree and Feek did not review favourably following the end-of-year tour in 2021, and players have again been consulted following the 2-1 home series defeat to Ireland.
It was also widely reported that Cane would step down as captain following the brutal series loss to Ireland, in which his form and leadership have come under fire.
Cane was an unexpected choice for captain when Foster took the helm in 2019, with many tipping Whitelock for the job given the veteran lock had served as Kieran Read’s understudy.
From the outset, Cane hasn’t had an easy time of it with the public, being in the awkward position of being seen as an unpopular coach’s pet.
But his performances on the field came under increasing scrutiny in the Ireland series, with English pundit Stuart Barnes singling out the 30-year-old following the All Blacks 42-19 season-opening victory over the Irish at Eden Park.
Despite the impressive win, Barnes wrote there was a ‘‘huge problem’’ at the heart of the side, and questioned whether Cane was good enough to be on the field for the All Blacks.
The only confirmed changes to the squad for the Rugby Championship is the inclusion of prop Ethan de Groot and loose forward Shannon Frizzell, earning recalls in place of Karl Tu’inukuafe and Pita Gus Sowakula.
The All Blacks squad will assemble on Monday ahead of their departure for South Africa.
‘‘What I know that our country should expect from this team is that we go away, we identify the key focuses, we go out there and we fix it, and play at the level that we want to play at,’’ Foster said.
‘‘I’m really excited about the opportunity to show you what this team is made of working alongside the players in this squad.’’