The All Blacks growth Ian Foster says was 'lost in translation' in 2023

Ian Foster is back in coaching after some downtime in 2024, during which he reflected on how his All Blacks head coaching tenure ended.

Dismissing Ireland en route to a Rugby World Cup final loss was the coach’s final act in black, stopping agonisingly short of completing a redemption arc after a tumultuous four years at the helm.

Preceding Foster’s time as head coach were eight years as an assistant under Sir Steve Hansen, who he has now reunited with at Toyota Verblitz in Japan.

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Those years spent just left of the spotlight meant Foster knew full well what he was signing up for when he put his hat in the ring to be Hansen’s successor, and while there was plenty he did expect in the role, unscripted moments like a pandemic threw extra challenges his way.

Now, the 59-year-old is happily launching into his next chapter in Japan with a measured approach to the past.

“There was a lot going on during my time as an All Black coach and certainly there were pressures there that were probably a little bit unique to perhaps what other All Blacks coaches have had to go through; Covid and others things,” he told Martin Devlin’s DSPN podcast.

“You spend a lot of time reflecting on that and looking at the way we handled things, but to know that we had the full backing of a group of men that wanted to go and achieve something pretty special – I think we left the All Blacks in a good place.

“I think there were a lot of younger players coming through in that World Cup that I think will be there at the next World Cup and, that probably got a little bit lost in translation at the end of 2023 I think, that this was an All Black team that had the ability to grow and get even bigger and better. So, here’s hoping that’s where they go.”

The team finished with 10 wins and four losses in 2024, led by young talent like rookie Wallace Sititi, 24-year-old lock Tupou Vaa’i, and prop Tyrel Lomax, who were the All Blacks Player of the Year nominees.

The experience of a World Cup certainly benefited the likes of Vaa’i, Tamaiti Williams and Cam Roigard, who each look on their way to, if not already enjoying international stardom.

Foster backing those players early has undoubtedly put them in a great position to succeed. For the coach, however, his place in the team’s future looked anything but certain throughout his tenure.

As results faltered, speculation grew and during 2022’s Rugby Championship, after losing a home series to Ireland and replacing two key members of his coaching group, Foster’s job was on the line. A win in South Africa was followed by a press conference where New Zealand Rugby expressed their support for Foster through until the World Cup. Seven months out from the World Cup, however, they named his successor in Scott Robertson.

Foster was vocal in protesting the timing of the decision, having taken over from Hansen in a process that commenced following the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

“The key thing is that I’ve moved on. I think it’s really important to not let things that you can’t control, control you,” Foster reflected.

“There were things that happened, people acted in ways that I disagreed with. I think people were pretty clear that I did disagree with them.

“That’s all you can really do is just say your piece and then just go and do what you need to do and I was pretty determined not to let other people’s decisions change the person that I was.

“So, have I moved on? Yes, I have. Have I forgotten everything? Probably no, I haven’t. But, that’s probably for another day.”