EDITOR’S LETTER
NEW ZEALAND RUGBY HAVE DROPPED THE BALL. AGAIN.
Ian Foster survives to coach the All Blacks in South Africa, and will probably limp through to next year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
In what should have been his final test as All Blacks coach in New Zealand, Foster cut a lonely figure in the immediate aftermath of the third test loss to Ireland in Wellington.
It meant the series was lost too. The first time the
All Blacks have lost a series to Ireland, yet another unwelcome record for the record breaking coach.
Foster’s All Blacks have lost to Argentina for the first time and now a series to Ireland in New Zealand. It was the All Blacks’ fourth defeat in their last five games and their first series defeat in New Zealand since losing to France 28 years ago. Foster’s win percentage has dropped to 66.7% with 16 wins, a draw,and seven defeats. Sure the Bledisloe Cup is (for now) in Kiwi hands and the All Blacks won last year’s Rugby Championship, but the All Blacks are a rabble under Foster.
The time for a new coach and a new direction is long overdue. Rugby fans can see it, but weirdly, NZ Rugby can’t.
The All Blacks were a shambles on the field in
Dunedin and Wellington and a mess off.
Foster’s media team had to scramble to cancel a scheduled press conference the day after the third test defeat just as it was meant to start.
A few days earlier they were stunned to hear that NZ Rugby’s head of communications, Charlotte McLauchlan, had told the media at a social function that CEO Mark Robinson would address the media should the All Blacks lose at Sky Stadium.
How was that supporting the team, they rightly asked. Robinson didn’t front but released a written statement instead.
There is a significant lack of trust within the All
Blacks for those at HQ that mirrors the internal disharmony within the All Blacks.
The players were mystified when their reviews of several of the assistant coaches were ignored and it is obvious in how they play that there is a disconnect between the players and coaches.
It is amazing that so many of the stars of Super Rugby have been shadows of themselves in the All Blacks - a team that is meant to combine the best of the best and make them even better.
And what sort of relationship is there between Foster and his captain, Sam Cane, after the skipper was replaced in the 63rd minute of the test in Wellington?
Cane looked mystified as he trudged off. Never before have I seen an All Blacks captain replaced when his team is losing, but the match is still winnable.
It will cost New Zealand Rugby up to about $4 million to sack Foster and his assistants but it would be money well spent.
The pity is it shouldn’t have come to this.
I said at the time that Foster was an uninspiring choice as head coach when he took over from Steve Hansen after the failed 2019 World Cup campaign, and nothing has happened to change my mind.
It was evident when the All Blacks drew the series with the British and Irish Lions in 2017 that Hansen’s midas touch was fading and that was reinforced in Japan two years later.
Yet Hansen’s anointing of Foster as his successor played a strong hand in his getting the job, as did Graham Henry’s dismissal of Scott Robertson as a contender.
This was the old boys ensuring their reign continued but Foster has been a flop.
Of course the covid pandemic didn’t help in 2020 and 2021 but he still oversaw that defeat to Argentina and then back to back losses to Ireland and France last November, and now the series loss to Ireland.
Those record breaking feats aside, it is the lack of improvement in the All Blacks that is the biggest concern. In fact, in many areas they have regressed.
Their discipline is dreadful, the scrum is weak, the skills of the tight five are poor, the defence is often terrible and there is no apparent game plan.
All of this despite Foster having a bloated coaching staff.
New Zealand Rugby have two simple choices. Joe Schmidt is already a selector and he fits their safety first policy, but he doesn’t want to travel as he has a severely epileptic son he wants to be near.
Robertson should be the All Blacks head coach. He has won everything he can, from club, to province, with the New Zealand under 20s and, of course, his six titles with the Crusaders.
What more can he do?
Win the World Cup with the All Blacks is the answer. That chance seems gone, and the huge pity is that for Robinson - who is being enticed by England - it may not come again.