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The Ireland tactic that Foster couldn't resist taking a swipe at

(Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

It’s a weekly occurrence now in rugby, the commentary on the refereeing and its shortcomings, and Saturday’s aftermath in Dublin was no different when it came to the protagonists dissecting the fallout from Ireland defeating the All Blacks 29-20. All Blacks boss Ian Foster swept into the media conference room at Aviva Stadium and was quickly full of kudos for the victors.

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“Congratulations to Ireland,” he said unprompted at the start of the briefing, making an address off his own bat before the laptop was opened to overseas-based queries and then questions followed from those in attendance in the room situated in the bowels of the D4 stadium.   

“They thoroughly deserved their win. It was a game that they came out and played incredibly well, held the ball for long periods… I was really impressed with them. They played a high tempo game, kept us chasing and when it really mattered at the end we just didn’t quite have the composure to take the opportunity that presented to us and they just played a pressure game in that last little part.”

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All very complimentary and all well received. Yet there was eventually one particular issue, other than his disagreement over the ruling out of the second half Akira Ioane try for a TMO adjudicated forward pass from Richie Mo’unga, that really got his goat – alleged delaying tactics from Ireland that slowed down the game’s tempo coming down the finishing straight. 

Between all the various jigs and reels over the course of an 80-minute match that took two hours to complete, James Lowe whacking the ball into the stands at 5.15 pm to finally call a halt to a contest with a 3.15pm kick-off, Foster was teed off that there were too many disruptions at a time in the game when the All Blacks just simply wanted to get on with the action quickly.      

“The game is supposed to be played fast,” he insisted near the end of the 16-minute briefing he attended in the company of skipper Sam Whitelock. “There are times if someone is injured and needs treatment they get a certain window of time and if they can’t fix it in that time they go to the sideline, so it’s hard for refs to try and speed the game up. 

“This is not a biggie for me but it was clearly a tactic and good on them [Ireland] for doing it because there was a lot of them going down with cramp and all sorts of stuff. I don’t begrudge that but we have just got to make sure we keep the game ticking over.”

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Anyone in the stands in Dublin who had access to the reflink would have had their ears perked by the constant chatter that unfolded across the two hours, referee Luke Pearce regularly reminding the combatants that he had a team of officials who should be allowed to do their job without interference.   

At one stage in the first half, when Dane Coles was on as a temporary sub with Cody Taylor in the sin bin, the All Blacks No16 was even heard remarking to the referee about Johnny Sexton, “He is a bit of a mouthy.” Sexton was in the sense that Pearce admonished him on a couple of occasions for making referrals that the officials weren’t interested in entertaining. 

What was Sexton’s view of the accusation? “He [Coles] has plenty to say all the time. I don’t mind that. When you are on the pitch it is heated, it’s a battle and I was trying to speak to the ref and they were taking offence that I was speaking to the ref. 

I wasn’t saying anything out of line I don’t think but we will have a look. Something I am always trying to work on is my communication with the referees. We will see how I went. Maybe I let it boil over at times towards the end of the first half when I felt that we had the ball and we weren’t getting some of the rewards for it, but we will go and have a look.”

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Comments

2 Comments
R
Robert 1097 days ago

Great game best team on the won

r
robespierre 1097 days ago

Coles actually said, "he's a bit of a mouthy c**t"!

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J
JPM 50 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 53 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

11 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
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