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‘It wasn’t to be’: Ian Foster’s raw reaction to World Cup final loss
By Finn Morton
With just seven minutes to play in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final, Jordie Barrett lined up a shot at goal that would’ve given the All Blacks the lead.
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Two rugby-mad nations stood still as the sharp-shooting inside centre paused after propping the ball up onto his goal-kicking tee. It was history in the making, and everyone knew it.
Barrett, 26, stepped forward and struck through the ball towards the uprights, but the attempt hooked left in a moment of heartbreak. South Africa still led by one point as time continued to run out for the New Zealanders, and eventually, it did.
South Africa completed their quest for back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles – becoming just the second nation, after New Zealand, to achieve the feat. The Springboks were world champions once again.
But along with Barrett’s kick, the All Blacks have been left to rue what could’ve been. Playmaker Richie Mo’unga missed another tough shot at goal during the second term, and the Kiwis had some golden try-scoring opportunities.
In the end, it just wasn’t to be for the All Blacks.
“It would be wrong to say we had all the chances, they had some chances too. There was a pressure cooker environment. You could see players from both teams making a few errors they wouldn’t normally do,” coach Ian Foster said after the final.
“To get ourselves back, score that try, it’s disallowed and we get another try. was pretty cool and got us in the game. We gave ourselves every chance, but it wasn’t to be. We are all gutted.
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“We so desperately wanted to win this but I am equally proud. The attitude to play there against a mighty team. Every weeks ago the score was a very different score against them. We contributed massively to a very special final full of drama and two teams that put everything on the line.”
The All Blacks started the decider with a disastrous yellow card. Flanker Shannon Frizell was sent to the sin bin after just two-and-a-half minutes.
It was just the second card in Rugby World Cup final history – after Ben Smith’s yellow card in 2015 against Australia. But another card was shown about 25 minutes later.
Captain Sam Cane was shown a yellow following a high shot on Boks centre Jesse Kriel. But after an anxious wait and an off-field review, the incident was upgraded to a red.
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The All Blacks played 65 minutes of a Rugby World Cup final with 14 men including the brief absence of Frizell, but they managed to stay in the fight.
Coach Foster, who was visibly hurting, emotional and distraught as he frotned the press, summed it up perfectly by saying it was a “heck of a final.”
“Always high emotion both sides of the fence this will be no different. 12-11, I want to congratulate South Africa for what they’ve achieved. they’ve shown a lot of character and tenacity throughout this tournament,” Foster told reporters.
“That’s three close games they have come out the right side so they are doing something right.
“For us it’s heartbreaking and I look at the effort of our team, the way we played and came back and gave ourselves a really good crack at that, the second half, particularly after the red card in the first half and the damage that decision made Overall, incredibly proud of our team but we’ve got a disappointed shed.”
Missed kicks hurt the ABs tremendously in the final. It happens though.
Devastated for Ian Foster.
He should still have received the award for coach of the year. 😓😓
For most the ABs 130+ years they have been the dominant force in world rugby.
But not all that 130+ years of ABs, eg 88-91, 98-03. But as 2017 to 2023 (NOTE, both Hansen & Foster periods) increasingly showed, this period can be clearly added, ie it was hot/cold ABs; the legendary ABs when hot, when cold the Abs of constant errors & aimless kicking.
This RWC didn’t deviate from that, ie the ‘hot ABs’ in the pre-RWC Rugby Championship, ‘cold ABs’ pre-RWC & V France, ‘hot ABs’ V Ireland & then … ‘cold ABs’ in that Grand final, ie again constant errors & aimless kicking came back, eg Cane’s latest brain fade & card (to add to his history of them) despite all the discipline preaching, AB knock ons, more aimless kicking (ie so many not even out of their own half) & those missed kickable points, including the arrogant penalty kicks to lineouts rather than through the posts (did no-one remind them of 2007!!).
Congratulations to AB & the Foster TEAM on an OK RWC but especially the payback against Ireland. Legendary? No.
Looking forward to the NEW coming All Black era. Hope they develop back to their legendary status ie out of the current period they remain in ie FACT, the ‘hot/cold ABs’ of 2017-??.
“*For us it’s heartbreaking and I look at the effort of our team, the way we played and came back and gave ourselves a really good crack at that, the second half, particularly after the red card in the first half and *the damage that decision made”
I think Foster has brought a level of disrespect into the NZ setup that wasn’t there previously. Last night he blamed TMO Tom Foley for Cane’s sending off (even though it was a bunker decision) and last night he blamed Tom Foley for the series loss to Ireland. This preoccupation with and vendetta against Ireland resulted in several NZ players abusing retiring Irish players after the whistle and one of them mocking the Irish crowd. I don’t think this could have sat well with real NZ supporters. You have to be able to beat more than Ireland though and SAs weakest performance against a top 4 nation saw off NZ. That’s on Foster.