Ian Foster says he expects to be an All Blacks coach for the rest of the year and beyond, although the resigned look in his eyes as he prepared to jump on the plane home from Johannesburg suggested he was feeling well. was aware that it was a process that would end beyond his control.
Foster spoke to the Kiwi media on tour with the team just before they left their Sandton hotel in the Republic around Sunday afternoon, and it was clear that Mark Robinson’s ever-bizarre press conference earlier that day had been pushed back to him. .
Notably, Robinson failed to support Foster in the wake of the All Blacks’ 35-23 win over the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday night (early Sunday NZT), speaking of people’s desire to “go home around their families,” confirmed a review process that informed a board meeting later this week and made it clear that the head coach’s job was very much at stake.
Christiaan Kotze/Photosport
All Blacks coach Ian Foster and halfback Aaron Smith share a tender moment after the win over the Boks.
If you were a gambler, you wouldn’t clear the account of the coach who keeps his performance, even if there was a big break in the Ellis Park result, breaking a three-Test losing streak, retaining the Freedom Cup and threw the Rugby Championship race back wide.
Everything Robinson said on Sunday, which was both not much and much, pointed to a process already underway to bring about change at the top in the All Blacks, without him actually saying it. There may be a reconsideration, but the NZR chief certainly didn’t offer olive branches on his embattled coach.
“He’s got a job to do, but I’m about to get on a plane, go home and probably mow the lawns around the pool. I will no doubt provide feedback,” Foster said. “My expectation is to be the All Black head coach and [next] This weekend I’m going to Christchurch and gathering for a team until I’m told otherwise.”
Foster said he wasn’t sure what the judging process entailed (remarkable if only because All Blacks are never screened two games in a campaign), but added: “What I do know is that it’s people’s job to think about where we are and to make decisions, I’m sure I’ll hear that.”
Speculation abounds about disagreements between the All Blacks and NZ Rugby – a claim Robinson emphatically denied during his call-up – and Foster’s response was telling when asked if he felt he had the support of his bosses.
“I definitely feel I have the support and support of the All Blacks and I believe I have the support… I think NZ Rugby… I think there are processes they want to go through to say that categorically. What I do know is that to coach this team you have to have categorical support.”
KIM LUDBROOK/EPA via Photosport
Sam Cane and the All Blacks retained the Freedom Cup after beating South Africa at Ellis Park.
What he does know is that there’s some sort of standard back-to-the-wall mode that he’s gotten into this year.
“You get used to it, and that’s a shame. And I’m getting used to the personal side, but that’s the nature of the job. It’s the distractions that I ask the players to set aside when we go to a test match…and frankly I think the playgroup demanded that of me – stop sulking, get on with it and do your job. Sometimes the answer lies in its simplicity.”
Foster was otherwise excited for departure after a win at Ellis Park that he likes to think could be a “launch pad” for this group, as well as a statement of his credentials. His team improved across the board in their best display under his supervision.
“I saw an All Blacks team play with a lot of pride and reach the levels we really want to reach,” he said. “I’m happy with the way we’ve handled the challenges we’ve had, and happy that the team is growing through a bit of adversity. We wish the road was always smooth, but unfortunately life throws you some curveballs, and it’s how you react.
“You look at three [losses] in a row and that is a setback that many of this group, including me, have not had. Our mentality was to try to move forward and grow the team. We have an absolute target for a World Cup by the end of next year and in many ways this should be a launch pad for that. I am not angry about what has happened in the past three weeks. I think we’re using it in the right way to fuel a team that’s united, has a growth mindset and wants to play for this country.”
And of course life goes on. So late on Saturday night, as he sipped a still red wine and mused on an eventful night at the Boks fortress, his mind soon wandered to the next enemy, Argentina.
So he slipped out early, to grab the second half of the Pumas’ 48-17 win over the Wallabies and figure out the next challenge. A coach’s job is never finished. Until then.