WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Ian Foster will continue as All Blacks head coach until his contract expires after next year’s World Cup, saved in part by New Zealand’s Rugby Championship win over South Africa last weekend.
New Zealand Rugby’s board met in Auckland on Wednesday to discuss Foster’s future, weighing up information gathered by chief executive Mark Robinson, who briefed Foster and other members of the management team when the All Blacks arrived at home from South Africa.
A 35-23 win over the Springboks in Johannesburg last Saturday ended a three-match Test losing streak and five defeats in six Tests for New Zealand; the worst return by an All Blacks team in 24 years.
Some observers believed the win came just in time to save Foster, who became head coach in 2019 and has guided the All Blacks to 17 wins in 26 Tests with a record-breaking 65% success rate by a New Zealand head coach in the professional era. .
“It’s a privilege to be in this job,” Foster told reporters at a news conference Wednesday. “It’s never something you take for granted.
“It’s definitely been a difficult time, but you have to be here and now.”
In a small concession to Foster’s many detractors, New Zealand-born former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt has been handed a more hands-on coaching role under Foster. Schmidt had previously been involved as a selector and video analyst for the All Blacks.
Robinson said Wednesday was a “new dawn” for the All Blacks. But the decision is likely to be very polarizing.
Public confidence in Foster has been low, especially after this season’s historic home Test series defeat to Ireland. The All Blacks had never lost a Test against Ireland in New Zealand until July, when they lost the three-Test series 2-1.
They then lost their first Rugby Championship Test against the Springboks 26–10, their heaviest defeat in South Africa. These results followed defeats to Ireland in Dublin and France in Paris at the end of last season.
Seeking to deflect criticism, Robinson said: “We are doing everything we can for our sport and our people.”
“Of course, we never do everything right,” he added, “but we never do what’s best for our people.”
The nine-member board, chaired by Christchurch businessman Stewart Mitchell, was left in an almost no-win situation to decide Foster’s future. Foster’s sacking after last weekend’s win might have been seen as unreasonable, but if further poor results are achieved, the blame would lie squarely at the council’s door.
“We’ve seen significant evidence of growth and change in a short period of time,” Robinson said. “Ian has been very decisive in the way he has seen the performances against Ireland. He identified the things he believed needed to change in a short period of time to improve.
“Of course, we want to win all the games. There is no hiding from this. As this team grows and develops and things get put together from a management standpoint, we definitely think we’re on an upward trajectory.”
New Zealand Rugby has faced questions since 2019 over the process that saw Foster named as the All Blacks’ No 1 ahead of Crusaders Super Rugby-winning coach Scott Robertson when Steve Hansen went resign after the World Cup that year. An independent committee was formed to name the new head coach, but Foster was the only candidate to be interviewed.
There were concerns the panel was swayed by NZR’s desire to see continuity in the head coaching role – Foster was a long-time assistant under Hansen, who guided the All Blacks to 93 wins in 107 Tests.
Foster’s appointment was not universally popular with All Black fans. Robertson was a more charismatic candidate, already with a record of success at Super Rugby level. Foster coached the Hamilton-based Chiefs from 2004 to 2011, finishing 10th in the final two seasons.
Current Wallabies coach Dave Rennie took over from Foster at the Chiefs and won the Super Rugby title with the club in each of the following two years.
The All Blacks will now face Argentina in Christchurch on Saturday week in their first home Rugby Championship test of the season.
“I understand the pressure on my role,” Foster said. “When you lose a series people are hurt.
“My job is to put it into context and make decisions about how I can make it better in the future. Now I’m really excited to go to Christchurch and give these players a chance.”
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