Two more years
Foster to take ABs to next Cup
Fair call, all things considered. But the reappointment of Ian Foster as All Blacks coach through until the 2023 World Cup does not come without a hefty element of risk, not to mention a slightly quizzical raising of the eyebrows.
In fact, you could make the case that yesterday’s decision to extend Foster’s contract by a further two years is a roll of the dice from the decision-makers at HQ.
For starters, why it has been made before the looming two tests against the undisputed best side on the planet (the Springboks) is a mystery. Wait a month and they would have had the perfect measuring stick by which to assess Foster’s progress since he took over the top job.
Surely a call of this magnitude could have waited just a few more weeks.
Instead, they are all-in on a fellow who could win only half his test matches in 2020, and by his own admission came up short of the mark required in year one.
What was the rush? Did this deal have to be done before the All Blacks hit the road for the rest of their 2021 programme?
So what’s the risk, you might ask? Well, has Foster emphatically proven himself the best man for the job? There has to be an element of doubt about that, at least.
More so when you consider that, in Crusaders serial winner Scott Robertson, NZ Rugby has a compelling Plan B on hand who appears to be desperate to do the job.
But back to the doubt. Foster has effectively been extended on the strength of having the wood over what appears to be an historically weak Wallabies outfit. He also lost to Argentina for the first time in his team’s history (splitting the two tests against the Pumas in 2020) and has seen off a spirited Fiji outfit this year with hardly what you would term authority.
Undoubtedly, Foster deserves recognition that this has not been an easy path to tread as head coach with the wide shadow Covid-19 has cast over all international rugby.
But it’s been tough for everyone, and you could make the case that the All Blacks have had it comparatively easy compared to some others.
Maybe in this time of uncertainty it is good to have something locked in. Now Foster can set off on this challenging road trip, where the All Blacks will play the
Wallabies (once more) and Pumas and Springboks (twice each) to round out the Rugby Championship in Australia with the confidence and assuredness that his bosses have his back. Then head north with equal vigour.
Only time will tell on this one, but it doesn’t lessen the impression that a little more evidence might have added a lot to getting this decision right.