Suspicion still exists that the wrong man was given charge of the All Blacks
Ian Foster must be cursing COVID-19.
In case you missed it, Foster was a very unpopular choice as All Blacks head coach. So unpopular that, if you believe a recent player poll, even they aren’t too enthused about him or his staff.
In an ideal world, Foster would be three tests into his tenure by now. Three tests – two against Wales and one against Scotland – that you assume would have provided him with a winning start to life in charge.
Instead the tentative opening of the test rugby window is scheduled for October 24, with preliminary plans in place for New Zealand to host the entire Rugby Championship during November and December.
None of that’s over the line, of course, meaning no one’s really had a chance to come to terms with the fact Foster really is the All Blacks’ coach.
Even all these months on, it seems hard to comprehend that New Zealand Rugby (NZR) could actually appoint the guy.
Surely this is the most sought-after job in world rugby and one fit for only the finest applicants. With all due respect to Foster, it’s still hard not to feel there were better options out there.
The suspension of test rugby hasn’t helped him, though.
It was only the other week when former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was quoted on a variety of issues, including the state of Australian rugby. Scribes everywhere leapt upon those comments and there were the inevitable long bows drawn suggesting New Zealand rugby folk are insufferably smug and arrogant.
Overlooked in all that was Foster. Perhaps emboldened by the words of his old boss, he piped up too. Difference was no one really took umbrage.
The issue there is one of standing. Hansen has plenty and Foster very little and that won’t change until he can coax two or three years worth of emphatic performances from the men in the black.
In the meantime, though, the man is scarcely relevant.
Again, the cancellation of this month’s tests against Wales and Scotland hasn’t helped.
In the absence of test footy, Super Rugby Aotearoa has further underlined what a fine job Scott Robertson does as coach of the Crusaders.
Rain, hail or shine, the players in that team continually produce performances their fans can be proud of. Most of the time those performances translate into wins too.
A story surfaced recently suggesting Robertson rather baffled the panel trying to pick between he and Foster for the All Blacks’ coaching job last year.
First of all, many people end up confused after talking to Robertson. Whether by accident or design, the man isn’t the easiest to get a straight answer from.
But the Crusaders’ players seem to understand him all right and surely they’re the only people that matter.
More important, though, is this idea that presentations to panels matter. That a coach should be judged not on his record, but on the way he interviews for a job.
Robertson didn’t inherit a Crusaders franchise in rude health. There’d been a gradual decline under Todd Blackadder, so the results in the three and a bit years since speak volumes for Robertson and his methods.
Players and coaches have come and gone, but the outcomes have always stayed the same.
That’s the difficulty for Foster. People think Robertson is a good coach because that belief is borne out in the Crusaders’ results week after week, year after year.
Foster hasn’t been afforded that luxury yet, that chance to prove there was more to his appointment than cronyism and succession planning. That he can emerge from Hansen’s shadow and show us all he’s worthy of the role he inherited.
Unfortunately, the longer it takes to get test rugby back on the schedule, the longer the suspicion will persist that the wrong man was given charge of the All Blacks.
Comments on RugbyPass
Not sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
24 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
1 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
24 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
24 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to comments