‘I believe I have the group’: All Blacks coach Ian Foster adamantly supports players

Underfire All Blacks coach Ian Foster insists he still has the respect of the playgroup after the failed Test series against Ireland.

The All Blacks head to South Africa this week for the start of the Rugby Championship with Foster and the team under great pressure.

Speaking on Sky Sport’s Breakdown on Sunday, Foster was adamant that he still had the support of the squad.

“I believe I have the group and now I have to deliver the plan and so part of the changes I’ve made is about making sure I don’t take their belief in the direction I’m going for granted, but I’m listening also to them and make the changes we all need for this team,” said Foster.

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“That’s one of the questions I got them to talk about [whether they have my backing]. I’m not in the room, it was just them and with all the noise around me, there’s been a lot of people pressuring me for a long, long time, so in many ways this isn’t new to the group.

Foster revealed feedback from the players after the Ireland series had been pivotal to the changes in the coaching structure of the All Blacks.

Assistants John Plumtree and Brad Mooar were fired on Sunday with the arrival of Crusaders forward Jason Ryan.

Senior All Blacks were questioned about their thoughts after the Irish series, where the All Blacks were beaten 2-1, with Foster asking for any messages he wanted to hear.

The overwhelming feeling was that they were moving in the right direction, but a fresh voice in the coaching setup was needed.

“They have also done a similar process with New Zealand Rugby as is normal after a series and I think we have been given a clear mandate that there is a strong belief in the direction we are going but there is a feeling that we re-voice it and make some changes to achieve the gains we really want to achieve and some of their feedback was strong about their own leadership and things they need to do better, it wasn’t just about management.”

Ryan, who thrived with the Crusaders along with Scott Robertson, will join the All Blacks as forwards and will focus on the lineout, their driving play and defense in that part of the game.

Scott McLeod remains in his defensive role with Greg Feek handling the scrum and Foster has more of a short term focus with the backs.

Joe Schmidt has formally begun his role as an independent All Blacks selector. In addition, Schmidt has an important analysis role and will work with Foster on the overall strategy and attacking game.

Despite the forgettable run against Ireland, Foster firmly believed there were positives for the All Blacks and they could turn it around in South Africa.

“We still have a strong belief in the direction we’re going and just because it didn’t come about as quickly as we wanted it to, it’s not the first time we’ve been slow starters in July. I hate to say that, but it’s the reality.

“We are an injured All Black team and we have work to do there and we really want to play a game that the New Zealanders are proud of.”

Foster acknowledged that there had been a “huge amount of noise” after the Irish series, which was their own doing.

The South African Games were an opportunity for the All Blacks to react and show what they were capable of.

“We want to raise our hands and say we didn’t get what we wanted out of it [against Ireland] and it was a series of drama, there were cards, there was all kinds of things and a lot of discussion.

“But in the end we were beaten by a better team and we want to be better than that. We’re going to South Africa, two tests there, we have players in this group who haven’t even been to South Africa with the All Blacks, just Super Rugby. We have to focus very quickly on the profit we want.”