Excerpt from Ian Foster's new book raises eyebrows ahead of Bledisloe Cup

Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt and All Blacks counterpart Scott Robertson expressed nothing but respect for one another when they clashed in Test rugby for the first time in the 2024 Bledisloe Cup, but there may be a hint of residual tension beneath that surface.

There’s a history between the two coaches that isn’t without friction, as evidenced by former All Blacks head coach Ian Foster’s new book, Leading Under Pressure, which details Foster’s tumultuous tenure as All Blacks head coach between 2020 and 2024.

The book features quotes from a handful of individuals involved during that period, including Schmidt, who joined Foster’s staff as attack coach in 2022 after Ireland’s famous series win in New Zealand, which triggered staffing changes and almost cost Foster the top job.

In the time between Schmidt’s 2022 recruitment and New Zealand Rugby’s 2023 appointment of Robertson as Foster’s successor, there were some poorly navigated moments, as reflected by Schmidt.

For Schmidt, those moments didn’t reflect all too kindly on the then-Crusaders head coach, and didn’t exactly make life any easier for Foster, who was facing harsh criticism for the All Blacks’ record with him at the helm.

The Sydney Morning Herald highlighted the following quotes in an article published on Saturday morning, with the piece later featuring on New Zealand outlet Stuff’s website, bringing attention to it on both sides of the Tasman Sea.

“A big part of it was about integrity,” The book quotes Schmidt as saying. “The pressure that was being exerted was contributed to by not just New Zealand Rugby, but people aiming up at ‘Fozzie’ [Foster].

“There was a podcast – with Jim Hamilton and Scott Robertson. That’s in the public domain. That was a pressure point and an advertisement that he [Robertson] wanted to win the World Cup with two different teams.

“And he [Robertson] applied pressure by starting an interview with ‘Bula’ when there was talk of the Fijian job being open. That was happening in the foreground, not the background. That was the tip of the iceberg, and it was bloody awkward for Foz.”

The ‘Bula’ quote Schmidt referenced came about when Robertson was asked for an update on his coaching future in February 2023.

“Bula,” he grinned, greeting reporters at Crusaders HQ as speculation swirled around Ian Foster’s future with the All Blacks. “I’m just waiting for NZR to make the announcements, really. You have conversations in the background, but as an employee, (it’s about) understanding how important it is that you go through clear processes. What I’m saying is, hopefully, we’ll know in the next few days.”

The coach then confirmed, with a grin, that he had received confirmation on what the future held, news which came as a revelation to the Kiwi public, and that didn’t go down well with New Zealand Rugby. The governing body was forced to issue a statement clarifying the situation, saying, “an announcement about the All Blacks head coach or process is not imminent.”

It wasn’t until March 21st that New Zealand Rugby announced Robertson as the next All Blacks head coach, following a “robust interview process”. Foster did not engage in the process, removing himself from contention for the head coach role beyond the 2023 Rugby World Cup and publicly disagreeing with its timing, labelling it as a potential distraction for staff and players in a World Cup year.

New Zealand Rugby previously had a policy of appointing or re-appointing All Blacks coaches after a Rugby World Cup campaign had concluded.