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Robertson's shadow looms over Foster after getting bullied by Fiji

By Hamish Bidwell
(Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

Unfortunately it’s not just Grant Fox looming over Ian Foster’s shoulder.

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Seriously, if there was anything to take from the All Blacks’ first test of the season, it was how hard it must be for the coaches to do their job with Fox hovering behind them.

Never mind that the All Blacks were winning by one hundred points, national-selector Fox looked like he could combust at any moment.

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Ian Foster praises physical Fijian challenge

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Ian Foster praises physical Fijian challenge

A week on, it’s not Fox casting the biggest shadow over Foster, but the re-signed Scott Robertson.

It would take a brave person to suggest New Zealand is bereft of rugby talent. You’ll get the odd British pundit who seeks to generate clicks by saying the All Blacks are soft or over-rated, but no sane person takes that stuff too seriously.

In saying that, Foster’s All Blacks have been unconvincing and inconsistent.

People can prattle on all they like about Covid-19 and the challenges it created for Foster and the All Blacks’ coaching staff, but losing to Australia and Argentina last year was unforgivable.

Yes, the team retained the Bledisloe Cup and sure they were crowned Tri-Nations champions, but so they should have. Those achievements are the bare minimum fans should expect from the side, rather than the endorsement of Foster that some have painted them as.

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Steve Hansen, Foster’s predecessor and friend, was the latest to say so, going on to claim it was “stupid’’ that New Zealand Rugby (NZR) hadn’t already appointed Foster through until the end of this Rugby World Cup cycle.

Well, with the greatest respect, NZR would be daft to do so, with Saturday’s underwhelming 57-23 win over Fiji being the most recent example why.

For those of us desperate for a contest, after the appalling spectacle of the previous week’s 102-0 defeat of Tonga, it was heartening to see Fiji’s forwards shunt the All Blacks around. For Foster and his staff, though, that should’ve been frightening.

Fiji are many things, but being renowned for their driving and mauling has rarely been one of them.

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You assume their forwards won’t be so formidable when the teams meet again this weekend and that the All Blacks will win by plenty. Heaven help Foster if they don’t, because NZR have just sewn up the obvious head-coaching alternative.

There’s little point debating whether favouring continuity over sustained excellence was the right call for Hansen’s succession. The fact is they hired Foster to be head coach – on the strength of his stint as Hansen’s understudy – instead of rewarding Robertson for his incredible title-winning success at all levels of the game.

Hansen argued over recent days that the All Blacks need certainty. That they need to know Foster will coach them at the 2023 world cup and that the team will immediately play outstanding rugby as a result.

Well, it’s actually only Foster that needs that certainty and – thankfully – NZR have recognised that he’s done nothing to deserve it just yet.

With every match these All Blacks play, Robertson looks better equipped for the job. The more the All Blacks look rattled or ill-prepared for what the opposition confront them with, the more people question Foster’s suitability.

I’ve written here before that the All Blacks ought to go through 2021 unbeaten. There are some reasonable teams on their schedule, but none who are demonstrably better.

But then these are the same blokes who got beaten by the Wallabies and Pumas a few months ago and were then pushed around by Fiji at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Given a repeat of those kinds of performances, Robertson won’t be forced into triggering the exit-clause in his new NZR contract.

It’s very easy to have a go at NZR. I mean, in absolute fairness to them, they don’t even make it hard. Time and again the national body do things that defy logic, but not in this instance.

The re-signing of Roberston, though to the end of 2024, was encouragingly strategic.

No-one wants the All Blacks to continue to underwhelm and no-one wants to see them lose two or three times this season. But, in case they do and in case the decision is taken not to extend Foster’s contract when it expires this year, a credible alternative is ready, willing and very able.

It’s easy to underestimate Robertson or to be distracted by his eccentricities. But the bottom line is his teams win – and win well – and that’s never been something you’d say about a Foster-coached side.

The more mediocre teams such as Fiji bully or even embarrass the All Blacks, the more Robertson’s shadow looms over this coaching staff.

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Trevor 11 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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