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Ian Foster on verge of resignation after latest All Blacks flop
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster is facing fresh calls to step down after his side’s latest loss and he could now fall on his sword at the behest of New Zealand Rugby.
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The All Blacks didn’t lack for fight but were ultimately dominated by the Springboks in front of more than 40,000 fans at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit – the first game of the 2022 Rugby Championship.
A late try by loose forward Shannon Frizell appeared to put some gloss on the scoreboard for the visiting team only for Springboks fullback Willie Le Roux to score in the last play of the game to seal what was an emphatic 26-10 victory.
In truth, the All Blacks didn’t pose much of a threat and it was largely one-way traffic following an early try from the electric Kurt-Lee Arendse.
It’s a fifth loss in six Tests for the men in black – a heretofore unheard of run of results for the giants of the sport. They will now drop to their lowest ever World Rugby rankings position – fifth – by dint of having lost the game by 15 points or more.
If media reports in New Zealand are to be believed, Foster may even resign off the back of the latest capitulation.
The New Zealand Herald reported yesterday that Foster was asked by NZR to step down if his side lost to the Springboks – a move that would be welcomed by many if not most in the rugby-mad nation.
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After the game, Foster told Sky Sport’s NZ on the pitch side that the loss in ‘many ways’ was “probably our best performance of the year”.
"In many ways that was probably our best performance of the year"
An actual sentence just uttered by Ian Foster#RSAvNZL
— TAB NZ (@TAB_NZL) August 6, 2022
A win in the second Test may yet save Foster and give the NZR an out, but as far as many fans are concerned, Foster is a metaphorical dead man walking.
Indeed social media for the most appears to think the jig is up for Foster, who took over from Steve Hansen following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Mark Keohane wrote: “The All Blacks lacked for nothing in desire, intent or passion, but currently they aren’t good enough & certainly Ian Foster most definitely not good enough as a head coach.”
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The @AllBlacks lacked for nothing in desire, intent or passion, but currently they aren't good enough & certainly Ian Foster most definitely not good enough as a head coach.
— Mark Keohane (@mark_keohane) August 6, 2022
Jamie Phillips wrote: “Clock must be ticking for Ian Foster after yet another limp All Blacks performance. Toothless in attack and they’re still making silly errors. Comfortable win for the Springboks. Malcolm Marx was outstanding in the loose today.”
Clock must be ticking for Ian Foster after yet another limp All Blacks performance. Toothless in attack and they’re still making silly errors. Comfortable win for the Springboks. Malcolm Marx was outstanding in the loose today ?? #RSAvNZL
— Jamie Phillips (@JNPhillips4) August 6, 2022
Welsh reporter Jon Davies wrote: “5 defeats in 6 games, full on crisis mode for All Blacks! Smashed up in every way by Springboks today. Look rudderless and Savea aside alarming lack of leadership amongst players atm. Foster looks out of his depth, no direction, or consistency in selection”.
5 defeats in 6 games, full on crisis mode for All Blacks! Smashed up in every way by Springboks today. Look rudderless and Savea aside alarming lack of leadership amongst players atm. Foster looks out of his depth, no direction, or consistency in selection #RSAvsNZL
— Jon (@jondavies95) August 6, 2022
“Most dominant performance by the Boks against the All Blacks in the Erasmus / Nienaber era. NZ had no answer – totally and comprehensively outplayed,” wrote popular South African fan AP Cronje.
Most dominant performance by the Boks against the All Blacks in the Erasmus / Nienaber era. NZ had no answer – totally and comprehensively outplayed.
— A-P (@rugby_ap) August 6, 2022
Richard Knowler wrote in Stuff.co.nz that “Ian Foster can’t escape the nightmare. As he watched the All Blacks lose 26-10 to the Springboks in their Rugby Championship match in Mbombela on Sunday morning, Foster may have finally realised he is no longer the right man to coach this team.”
There is the second Test for Foster to steady the ship, but if that feat proves a game too far it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the 57-year-old holds on to his seat.
Comments on RugbyPass
Billy's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
28 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to comments