Tony Johnson column
Tony Johnson argues that the call on Ian Foster’s coaching extension with the All Blacks needs to be made sooner rather than later to be fair on the bloke.
Tony Johnson argues it is not altogether fair on All Blacks coach Ian Foster that he has yet to be given any certainty about his role after the November northern tour.
Ian Foster’s nzr contract as All blacks head coach is up at the end of 2021.
The coming months will tell us a lot about where the All blacks are pointing two years out from the rugby world Cup.
They will also determine who is in charge of the All blacks going into rwc 2023.
Ian Foster’s contract is up this year, and despite a patchy 20 months of results and relentless public and media scrutiny of his every move, recent tradition is in his favour.
There’s certainly an argument for stability, and succession planning has served new Zealand well over the past decade or so.
Foster was part of an ultra-successful set-up from 2012 to 2015 and so it was hard to argue his elevation to the top job. It has been said that his credentials as a coach were greatly enhanced in that period, and that his lack of success with the Chiefs was no longer a valid cause for doubt.
And to be fair, last year’s 3-2-1 record needs to be put into some sort of perspective.
everything in 2020 was a bit scrambled as we all dealt with the day to day uncertainty, and so it was with international rugby.
The All blacks emerged from a messy Tri nations as champions, with the bledisloe Cup still bolted to the shelf, although not before a defeat to the wallabies and, famously, the Pumas. There was also a draw against the Aussies that could easily have been another loss, and their position at the top of the Tri nations table did owe something to the inability of the wallabies and Pumas to beat each other.
There was no contact with the northern Hemisphere, and south Africa’s withdrawal from the rugby Championship
– a move that looked suspiciously as much about avoiding any dents to its shiny new status as world champion as it was about Covid-19 – meant it was hard to make concrete judgements.
A ‘b’ pass: not bad, but not altogether convincing, especially to those who felt that 2019 really was the end of an era, and time for a whole new broom. And what of this year? A 100-point blowout against a woefully underprepared and understrength Tonga team served only to prove that Covid-19 has made life even more unfair to the Pacific Nations teams, while Fiji caused all manner of problems in Dunedin before the inevitable loss of steam in the final stages and the arrival of veterans Dane Coles and sam whitelock helped push the score out towards something approaching the normal margin.
‘There’s certainly an argument for stability, and succession planning has served New Zealand well over the past decade or so.’
sure, the All blacks were themselves below strength, and needing to divvy up opportunities to a bloated squad, but it did highlight issues that will need to be effectively addressed if they are to project positively in 2021. Fiji probably did the All blacks a favour. In the past, Fiji would wow the crowds with their one-handed passes, props running like wingers, maybe a spectacular
try or two before getting blown away by 60, but what happened in Dunedin served up one of the few positives of them having most of their stars based so far from home.
Their forwards, after seasons duking it out in the muscular, bang-it-up world of european club rugby, were not only big, strong and athletic, but confrontational and technically excellent. Let’s not forget they were missing their best ball-carrying forward Viliame Mata, and their most explosive back semi radradra.
Their dominance at the breakdown was an eye-opener, and a wee reminder of how it was that new Zealand was shunted out of the reckoning two years ago in Japan.
Things were better from a much stronger team in the second Test for the All blacks, but Dunedin reminded us of what can happen when support for the ball carrier is inaccurate and individuals don’t impose themselves enough in the physical contest.
It’s a requirement that is not going to go away as the likes of england, south Africa and France take us back down a road where physical dominance is everything.
I mean, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the three most important players in the england team, with the possible exception of Owen Farrell, are props Mako Vunipola, Kyle sinckler and Joe Marler.
given new Zealand’s set in stone desire to play an expansive, expressive game, whoever has the coaching job faces a major philosophical question about the style needed for the next world Cup, but in the meantime there is a house to be got into order. which brings us back to Ian Foster. The All blacks coaching decision has to be given due diligence and can’t be rushed, but it is one that for all concerned needs to be made in reasonable time.
you can’t compare the current situation to 2009, when despite graham Henry and co. still copping it after the 2007 failure, they were reappointed midway through the year.
In 2009, there really wasn’t anyone else around. robbie Deans had gone to the dark side, and despite a loss to the springboks, the All blacks had won the Tri nations, retained the bledisloe Cup and done the grand slam in 2008. It was, and was always going to be, the right call.
but this time nzr has – maybe inadvertently, perhaps not – fuelled a debate with the headline-grabbing contract extension of fan favourite scott ‘razor’ robertson.
This may be a brilliant coup to keep robertson in the country, but in light of his quite open desire to coach the All blacks, and talk of get-outs if he doesn’t, it could also be perceived as a big stick being waved in Foster’s face. If that is the case, then it is piling unreasonable pressure on Foster, particularly in such uncertain times.
There is talk of robertson forming a Dream Team II scenario with Jamie Joseph and Tony brown. That’s a trio with immense popular appeal, the presumption being that robertson would be head coach, although some of us would see the more traditional countenance of Joseph as just as suitable for that role.
either way, it’s made Foster’s position all the more uncertain, compromised even, to the degree that his former boss steve Hansen has again felt the need to not only back his mate’s credentials, but in the process pour a little water on robertson’s.
robertson and co. would certainly have support among the players, but it would be a mistake to underestimate the backing that exists among the senior pros – in particular, for Foster.
so there are lines being drawn and it all adds up to quite a sub-plot in the coming weeks.
‘The All Blacks coaching decision has to be given due diligence and can’t be rushed, but it is one that for all concerned needs to be made in reasonable time.’