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What Ian Foster expects from the All Blacks in 2024 and beyond
By Ben Smith
Ian Foster will no longer be the All Blacks head coach in 2024 but he is well placed to share a view on how he thinks they may fare having just coached the team to a Rugby World Cup final.
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With intimate knowledge of the players and environment having coached the side since 2012, firstly as an assistant eight years and then for four years as a head coach, he has seen many players come and go.
He offered his view that the All Blacks in 2024 will actually be better placed than they were in 2016 and 2012 following those World Cup victories.
His reasoning is that this side has actually lost fewer players than those World Cup-winning teams of the past.
“Someone else asked me that and I kind of thought, I think we’ve lost 8 players and of those 8, you’d probably say 6 are iconic, aren’t they?” Foster said on The Platform NZ podcast.
“I’m not sure that Leicester [Fainga’anuku] fills that position at the moment, he’s got a lot of potential. It’s a shame he’s going, I’d love to see him come back.
“If you look at the Richie Mo’s, the Aaron Smiths, the Sam Whitelock and all that, you’ve got some iconic players going.
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“But the reality is that happens after every World Cup.
“And I think the number that we’ve lost is smaller than the last two World Cups.”
In the wake of the 12-11 final defeat NZR announced it is closing in on terms on a new deal to bring back Beauden Barrett until the end of 2027, which would be a major coup for a player once-thought to be finished in black.
But Ian Foster’s optimism comes from the forwards which he said went through a significant re-generation over the last two years of his tenure.
He believed that the All Blacks possessed the “best scrum in the world” with a young pack that will be around for the next four years.
“One thing that has gone a little unnoticed is if you look at the last two years, there is a lot of younger guys come into this team,” he said.
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“Look at the front row, you’ve got the Ethan de Groot, Tamiati Williams, Fletcher Newells, Tyrel Lomax,
“I know we’ve lost two iconic locks, but Scott Barrett is outstanding, Tupou Vaa’i, Josh Lord, have all been exposed the last couple of years.
“Loosies, you’ve still got Ardie [Savea], Sam [Cane] is coming back. We’ve got a lot of other loose forwards, Luke Jacobson.
“In the backs Finlay [Christie] and Cam [Roigard] are still there. Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Mark [Telea].
“If you go through the whole list, Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan, there is a large part of that team likely to be there for another four years.
“Particularly the youth of some of that forward pack is going to be gold. I think we saw a scrum that had become the best in the world potentially. Scrummed really well against South Africa.
“That holds us in very good stead at the top level.”
At least Razor will not select some of the crocks you stuck with, that cost us the World Cup……….Cain (habitual offender), stupid kicks Barrett at fullback………. for a start.
He believed that the All Blacks possessed the “best scrum in the world” with a young pack that will be around for the next four years.
“…..I think we saw a scrum that had become the best in the world potentially. Scrummed really well against South Africa.”
err.. Yup mate after you targeted their 2nd hooker for early elimination, and the half pint worker flanker then had to come on, why not also say you have “the best line out” too, you won most Bok ball at the throws too, after that “Wife Beater” neck roll and fall on leg ‘accident’.
Funny on a set piece team, you nailed the key one piece for both scrums & throw ins.
Kinda Like BoD in the Lions Series, John Smit by Brad Thorne when at his best. Good targeted hits.
See other peeps can also do cry baby stuff, but truth is our heart is not in it quite like yours.
Mr ‘Kwagga had a hand on the ground’, then we would have had a pen, and won it all before anything else may happen.
Translate: I had it much harder than the next bloke, thanks to me, this Razor chap is going to have it easy. We lost many more greats, but despite that I’ve built him the best scrum in the World and left him with some new greats like Vai, Christie and Clarke. Lord has had a massive 4 games so is super experienced, while Dmac is there, even though we didn’t think he was good enough to give him too many opportunities in the 10 jersey. Yep, it will be a cakewalk for that Razor dude, compared to how I had it.
Thank God for Jase Ryan & Joe Schmidt.
There are many new talents in any position and not only in props hookers but also locks ( lord , Fabian holland, others -20 ..) , in the wings, fullbacks and also in the number 10 ( burke, Morgan , cashmore , kehanna , love , lacomb ,mcmillar , Perefota etc. )
I am very optimistic and with great coach like Razor.
Razor is a winner and will win the World Cup 2027 !
Well said Ian. Next generation of young and potentially sitters for the next RWC. They proved their short stint in the World Cup. All the best to them.
What the world expects from ABs in 2024: Complaining about the ref when they loose. Oh wait, lets not complain about the ref, its those Springboks’ fault that our players get red carded. Those cheats. I want my mommy!