The tides of change are in motion for All Blacks
As Australian rugby churns from crisis to crisis, New Zealanders are also confronting a new era for their beloved All Blacks.
The final whistle in the Rugby World Cup final – won by the Springboks by a single point – heralded the end of the road for many senior figures in the game.
Defeated coach Ian Foster is out, his challenging four-year reign has already been ended by New Zealand Rugby (NZR).
The governing body announced in March that Foster would be replaced by Scott “Razor” Robertson, regardless of their World Cup showing.
Foster was a critic of the succession plan, saying he didn’t look for his next job while in the ABs role.
“My players last night and today are telling me, ‘Well now you can tell me what you’ve got planned, Ian’, and I said when I made that decision in March to speak out, I also made a decision to refuse to talk to anyone,” he told journalists in Paris.
“Any time I got offered any opportunity to coach after the World Cup I said I wasn’t interested until after the World Cup.”
Foster was asked about a potential vacancy with the Wallabies but didn’t engage with the question.
Robertson won’t be able to call on Dane Coles, who is retiring, or superstars Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith, and Sam Whitelock, who made France 2023 their All Blacks swansong.
Another group of senior players are unlikely to be seen again, at least in the short term, as they fall foul of eligibility rules.
Beauden Barrett (Toyota in Japan), Richie Mo’unga, Shannon Frizell (both Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan), Leicester Fainga’anuku (Toulon in France) and Nepo Laulala (Toulouse in France) are moving abroad.
NZR maintains a strict decades-long policy of selecting All Black squads from players in the Super Rugby competition.
Speaking in April, Robertson said he was keen to review that strategy.
“You’ve got to be a step ahead. If you’re a step behind and then changing rules, that’s when you get caught,” he said.
“They will definitely be getting my opinion and my thoughts.”
Ardie Savea (Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan) will also head abroad in 2024, but has re-signed with NZR for 2025.
Captain Sam Cane became the first player sent off in a Rugby World Cup final for a first-half shoulder charge, and it’s not yet clear how he will recover from that life-altering moment.
Foster backed him to continue.
“He’s got a team that treasure him and so they’ve surrounded him,” he said in Paris.
“He’ll continue to lead that group … but there’s no short cuts to getting over that.”
Cane and Jordie Barrett also hold sabbatical options, similar to Savea, in their NZR deals.
New Zealand’s other winner at the World Rugby awards was 26-year-old winger Mark Tele’a, named as breakthrough player of the year, and a key part of Robertson’s future.
Robertson will also be joined by a new-look coaching panel, with only forwards coach Jason Ryan retained from current All Blacks assistant coaches.
Leon McDonald and Jason Holland have been plucked from Super Rugby head coaching roles in Auckland and Wellington to manage the attack. Scott Hansen, Robertson’s assistant at the Crusaders, will be in charge of defence.
Comments on RugbyPass
This article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
1 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
226 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
226 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.
18 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
18 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to comments