1
Ian Foster shares plans to 'do the sendoff properly' for departing All Blacks
Departing All Blacks coach Ian Foster will spend the coming month saying his final farewells to long-serving All Blacks.
ADVERTISEMENT
Foster may also be joined by assistant coaches as they pay their respects to some of New Zealand rugby’s great servants.
After 12 years of dedication to the black jersey, Foster’s relationships with the playing group run deep, and so the 58-year-old has offered up a very Kiwi catchup.
“I’ve invited a few of them to come around and pitch their tent on the lawn and maybe have a weekend,” Foster told reporters upon landing in Auckland. “I’ll supply the music and a barbecue and they can maybe bring a few drinks.
“I actually might fly around and see a few of them in the next month, just to do the sendoff properly.”
Those years in the coaching box saw Foster contribute to one of the most dominant eras in rugby history, holding an assistant role with the All Blacks for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
While his tenure as head coach was a mixed bag by New Zealand standards, finishing with a Rugby World Cup silver medal sees Foster leave the All Blacks having improved on the bronze finish Steve Hansen led the team to in 2019.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’m actually feeling really proud. It’s been a tough World Cup and I think everyone knew it was going to be like that. We had a draw that’s been spoken about for a long time.
“I think the whole year we really built to where we wanted to be and I’m really proud of the way the players stuck at it. I thought we got better and better as the tournament went on and that’s really the goal.
“You can’t be any more any more proud of a group of men that when things weren’t going our own way – and I just don’t mean referee calls or cards, I mean like Jordie puts the chip in and it doesn’t quite bounce for Ardie, little things like that that on another day might pop up into a hand and didn’t. And yet, I thought the way that we showed what it means to us was there for everyone to see and you can’t ask for anything more than that.”
The coach won’t buy into any of the narratives around his tenure or debate over the extent of his success, especially in relation to his predecessors.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’ll let you guys do all that. I’m happy.
“I think I got dealt a bunch of cards probably more different than any other All Blacks coach in many different ways; In terms of the governance of the game, the leaders of the game, Covid, a whole lot of different things and all I can say is I did the best I could.”
Comments on RugbyPass
guys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
1 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
227 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
3 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
86 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
29 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
227 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
227 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
19 Go to comments