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'I've sat quiet and I've toed the line': Ian Foster doubles down on NZR call
By Ned Lester
Ian Foster has doubled down on his call for the announcement of the All Blacks coach beyond 2023 to be made following this year’s World Cup and no earlier.
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Following a historically poor start to the All Balcks’ 2022 international season, New Zealand Rugby launched a review into the team and caching group, ultimately backing Ian Foster “100 percent” through until the 2023 World Cup.
Recent murmurs and comments however have caused a significant enough disruption within the camp for the coach to speak out, calling for NZR to keep their word and prove their support is 100 percent behind him and his staff without letting external voices have such a heavy influence on their decision making.
When The Platform later asked if he felt he’d done the right thing by speaking out, Foster doubled down: “Absolutely. I’m not trying to do anything overtly clever here, I’m just trying to express what the All Blacks head coach thinks of what’s happening here at the moment.
“It’s about my team,” Foster said. “One of the All Blacks’ big rocks, values, call it whatever you like, that we have is that the team comes first and the decisions that we make is about the team and for me when I know that things are happening that are impacting on my group, my role is to poke my head up and I guess say what I think.
“I’ve sat quiet and I’ve toed the line listening to this conversation and debate and all my management is hearing is that other people are determining the timelines for what happens in this team.
“What I’m saying may not change a lot, but I’ve said what I thought and I guess I’ll be judged for that.”
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In a previous interview on Thursday, Foster had alluded to Scott Robertson’s comments on the All Blacks coaching role – which many took as a strong indication that the Crusaders coach had received some sort of confirmation that he would lead the All Blacks in 2024 – by conceded “It does seem to be reasonably obvious”.
Foster again alluded to the six-time Super Rugby champion and any other All Black coach hopefuls, expressing his views that all must bide their time and respect New Zealand Rugby’s processes.
“I believe that if people really want to coach this All Blacks team then they will be there whenever the board decides them to be there.
“I think my job as head coach of the All Blacks is to inform them and I guess inform the public of what I think is the right outcome for this team right now. People might not agree with that, and that’s ok, but at least I’ve said what i think is right for this team.
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“Again, if it doesn’t happen as a post-World Cup decision, that’s ok, we’ll go to our next mantra which is ‘we’ll have a fight but we’ll disagree and commit’ and then we’ll just roll our sleeves up and make sure and get some reassurances that this process won’t disrupt our campaign with nothing happening behind the scenes that undermines this group going into France.
“Because let’s be clear, there’s one thing that I want, I want us to hop on a plane to France and we want to go and win a World Cup and make this country proud of us.
It's not his team...whatever happens post the WC is irrelevant. He should be focused on the upcoming WC nothing else. Self serving spin nothing more..players are leaving after the WC are they distracted or are they focusing on their performance..selection
in the AB'S and winning the WC. If they aren't then they shouldn't be selected.
Its not hard to imagine Foster using all the coaching chatter to motivate him, set his staff & players on fire and burn through to take the RWC, then give NZR the proverbial middle finger as he rides off into the sunset.
If you read his comments you will notice one thing
He is clear and concise on what he wants,and therefore should get the support he deserves
He spoke calmly and logically so give him a break and let the results be the judge
I wonder if this would be happening if Steve Hanson was still coach and was having a bad run??
Would Hansen get pilloried like this ? No
Move on
The results have judged him. He failed. Hansen would be pilloried if his results were this bad.
Wayne Smith is a much better coach than Foster. At least Smith had the grace to quit in 2002.
We all wish he had been quiet, they won more when he was in isolation (vs Ireland in the first test)
He patently hasn’t ‘sat quiet and toed the line’ by making the public comments he has.
The only way the appointment process could be a ‘distraction’ to him, is if he aspires to be reappointed again after the World Cup.
Frankly, it isn’t in the remit of his current job to care about what happens next. He should be solely focussed on doing his job (of winning the World Cup) and, again, he is just demonstrating that he isn’t focussed by making these comments.
He is just getting in his excuses early.
Not sure I expected him to resign but NZR should have sacked him after the SA tests.
But NZR is drinking the same dishwater as Cricket Aust and allowing players to call the tune.
All of this could have been avoided if he had just resigned last year.
If the All Blacks came first to Foster he would understand that the All Blacks are the team that he is the coach of, not his team.
The All Blacks were there before him and will be there after him. They were never "my team".
Just stop it and go. It's getting pathetic. Blatantly getting in his excuses for the monumental failures this season will bring.