Foster will get the sack even if All Blacks win at Ellis Park - Kempson

Former Springbok prop Robbie Kempson doesn’t believe an All Blacks win at Ellis Park will be enough to save head coach Ian Foster from getting the sack from New Zealand Rugby.

New Zealand lost to the Springboks 26-10 in Nelspruit in a one-sided affair, the worse losing margin in 94 years. The defeat comes off the back of a series loss to Ireland in New Zealand and is their fifth ‘L’ in six games. It’s heaped a tonne of pressure onto Foster’s shoulders and many commentators no longer see his reign as top dog as viable.

Speaking on SuperSport in South Africa, former coach turned pundit Kempson says Foster is effectively a dead man walking and believes that the NZR will force the 57-year-old to step down from his role, a move that will likely cost the union millions in contract payouts.

“I think Turmoil,” said Kempson. “Whether they say it or not, there’s something amiss.

“As we’ve seen in our national setup, you can see when something is not right. Whether it’s the coach – or whether it’s Sam Cane, who I think it would be unfair to blame.

“Most countries get rid of their head coach and then worry about what’s underneath and if they can shift it.

“I do think that Jason Ryan is an impeccable coach and a great addition to them. The positive for him was that they did stop our driving mauls. They went a bit back in the scrums, they always were going to be with the kind of talent that we [South Africa] have.

“I think if you look at their attack, it was absolutely nowhere. So at what stage – and we think it’s going to come soon – will New Zealand Rugby go the fish does actually rot at the head and he [Foster] has got to go.

“Who do they bring in? Who’s the next guy they going to bring in. I think we’re at that stage already.

“I think it’s in place that when they get back home there is going to be a significant change, regardless of what happens at Ellis Park, I think a change is going to come.

“I think they need a shift from where they’ve been for a couple of years, almost ten years now under this regime that they’ve had.

“Is Robertson worth a cheque now in terms of where they are going, what they want to achieve? The game has changed. He’s the most successful coach in New Zealand, surely he deserves a crack?

“Is it not a case like Rassie Erasmus? He was brought back into a team that was flailing and he manged to get them to win a World Cup. Is Robertson now their Rassie Erasmus?”