‘We’re still building. We’re not there yet’: Foster
Just in case you’ve lost count at home, All Blacks coach Ian Foster was happy to oblige with statistical clarification of the progress his team has made since a July Irish series he is now prepared to concede ‘‘we weren’t ready for’’.
Foster’s All Blacks took a major stride towards shaking off the ‘‘inconsistent’’ tag that’s attached to them this year, on the back of that 2-1 series loss to Ireland and then a rollercoaster Rugby Championship campaign, with yesterday’s 55-23 victory over Wales in Cardiff.
But even the embattled coach would concede the label won’t be truly removed without a strong finish to this tour, that still has Scotland at Murrayfield to come this Sunday (UK time), and England at Twickenham the following Saturday. The good news is Foster’s men have come through their latest fixture with a clean bill of health, and are in fine enough fettle to probably release a couple more for the second-string All Blacks XV who face the Barbarians in London this week.
Foster was rapt with his team’s performance in Cardiff in an encounter that could have been a lot trickier than played out. His forwards laid a splendid platform, Ardie Savea and Aaron Smith produced the showcase performances and the Barrett brothers, Sam Whitelock and Rieko Ioane barely missed a beat in their first outings in over a month.
Asked afterwards whether the criticism his team had copped this year through four defeats and a couple of distinctly scratchy victories (Melbourne and Tokyo) had been motivation, or was now in the rearview mirror, Foster showed some welcome honesty and also enjoyed the chance to flex a little.
‘‘It’s never in the rearview mirror on this stage – that’s the world you live in,’’ he reflected. ‘‘But I don’t think it’s motivating the team. We took some pretty tough lessons early on. We weren’t ready physically or mentally after Super Rugby for that Irish series, and we were well beaten. That’s been pretty well documented.
‘‘Since then, there were a few players we held back from that series who have come in and made a big difference and I think there have been some nice building blocks with the future in mind.
‘‘We’re still building. We’re not there yet. We’ve been tagged with inconsistency but that’s five [wins] in a row, so we’re starting to build what we want to build.’’
This result over a near fullstrength Wales side was emphatic in many aspects. The All Blacks forwards dominated the physical exchanges, the team took its chances splendidly and the home side had no answer to the tempo and skill of the New Zealand game.
Foster was asked if there were World Cup spinoffs for victories in the north in November.
‘‘A little bit,’’ he said of next year’s global event in France. ‘‘But test match rugby is about the here and now and for us it’s always been about getting that balance of looking to the future but also knowing that every match is vital. Nothing prepares you better for 12 months’ time than playing well and having good results now.’’
Speaking of playing well, Jordie Barrett has now surely settled the debate about No 12. He was very, very good again on a slippery evening. Smith, too, showed he still has the running game to match his slick passing repertoire and Savea led a pack effort that will be exactly what is required in France next year.
The All Blacks were going to savour this big victory over Wales – their 33rd in a row in a win streak stretching back to 1953. But not for long. Scotland and then England mean too much to take the eye off the ball there.
This result over a near full-strength Wales side was emphatic.