All Blacks: Lessons from 2011 could help Ian Foster put lid on distractions

ANALYSIS: Removing the giant splinter wedged between All Blacks coach Ian Foster and NZ Rugby has to be a priority ahead of the World Cup in France.

If it can’t be extracted, and that seems possible after Foster publicly questioned NZ Rugby’s plans to recruit the next coach before the World Cup, all parties involved in the mission to reclaim the Webb Ellis Club should at least negotiate a truce until the tournament is complete.

Foster maintains his decision to go public about the coaching issue, which could result in him travelling to France in the knowledge that it will be his last hurrah, is not about himself.

His major concern is about how it will impact on the All Blacks players during the most important year of his four-year term.

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The buzzword in vogue amongst former test players and coaches, when discussing the subject of whether NZ Rugby should pull the trigger soon or wait until after the World Cup to sign-up a coach, is “distraction”.

They all believe that if NZ Rugby is serious about providing the All Blacks with the ammunition to succeed at the World Cup, it shouldn’t go on a recruitment drive until the event is finished.

To do otherwise, they say, would blur the players’ focus in what promises to be one of the most competitive tournaments in history.

You can’t blame Foster for trying to do everything, and anything, within his power to ensure his men have a laser-like focus on reclaiming the Webb Ellis Cup.

If a new coach is appointed before the winter, Scott Robertson and Jamie Joseph are expected to be the top contenders, many players in the All Blacks squad will have their views about the way the process was handled by NZ Rugby.

They won’t be the only ones. Many rugby followers in New Zealand, it seems, have an opinion on the way this has played out.

But it is the players who matter most in a World Cup year; while a coach can tool them up with the best game plans, they are the ones who put their reputations on the line when they enter the arenas.

It should also be remembered that player-power is a big deal in New Zealand. The players, via the NZ Rugby Players’ Association, flexed their muscles when NZ Rugby attempted to ram through the Silver Lake deal and refused to back down.

And when it appeared Foster was certain to be sacked and replaced by Robertson last year, it was the senior players who publicly and privately lobbied for Foster to be retained after the win over the Springboks in Johannesburg.

Foster’s platter will be loaded with issues to be addressed as he prepares the All Blacks for the World Cup. Players will get injured, or lose form, referees will make random decisions, weaknesses will be exposed, and opposition teams will always be trying to spring some surprises.

Foster won’t want a group of players griping about NZ Rugby, or discussing how the next coach will go about his business, or what selections he may make in the next era.

But there is another side to all of this, too.

Foster, while clearly unhappy with NZ Rugby, should remember that his employer made the bold call to back him on three occasions.

NZ Rugby appointed Foster ahead of Robertson after the 2019 World Cup, extended his contract to the World Cup before the northern tour in 2021, and retained him when it appeared he was certain to be sacked, and replaced by Robertson, after just two Rugby Championship tests last year.

If the pandemic taught us anything, it was the importance of being resilient when it felt like the walls were closing in.

The All Blacks, during that period, had to cope with multiple distractions when they spent long periods offshore, while constantly being vigilant about not contracting Covid-19.

Cantabrians might also have a message for Foster and the All Blacks as they prepare for the World Cup.

For those outside the region, it’s easy to forget that February 22 has marked the 12th anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake which decimated many buildings, and caused 185 deaths.

It also ruined Lancaster Park, forcing the Crusaders to play all their games away from home. Despite the multiple dramas – or let’s say distractions – such as stuffed houses, having to leave partners and kids at home while they chased a rugby ball around on foreign fields – the coaches and the players almost managed to win the Super Rugby competition.

Only a heartbreaking loss against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, thwarted their hopes of bringing a title home. Later in the year the All Blacks, with a number of Crusaders players in their midst, won the World Cup on home soil.

Whatever NZ Rugby does when it comes to appointing a new coach won’t please everyone. But it needs to broker a peace deal with Foster and the All Blacks.

Then the message should be simple: just get on with life and play rugby to the best of your ability.

Just like the All Blacks and Crusaders did in 2011.