SwayBlog

The New Zealand Herald’s front page editorial in August 2022 was unequivocal: “It’s time for an end to Ian Foster’s time as head coach of the All Blacks.” The country’s flagship newspaper gravely warned that “the credibility of a 117-year legacy is at stake”.

The All Blacks had just been thumped 26-10 by South Africa in Mbombela, their fifth defeat in six games, and faced another potential humiliation against the Springboks at Ellis Park. Figures from the New Zealand Rugby (NZR) had already reached out to Scott Robertson, the long-time heir-apparent at the Crusaders to discuss his crown-fitting.

Foster was resigned to his fate. “I felt very much at peace in the game,” Foster later reflected in a documentary. “I was probably geared up with that being my last Test, so I was determined to enjoy it.” A press conference had been called for the Sunday morning to announce the act of regicide. All that remained was for the Springboks to administer the last rites.

The New Zealand players had other thoughts. A delegation, including several Crusaders players, met Mark Robinson, the New Zealand Rugby chief executive, to tell him they wanted Foster to stay. And then they went out and beat the world champions 35-23. “We were playing for our coach’s job,” Aaron Smith, the scrum half, said afterwards. “This was more than just a rugby game; this was about a man’s livelihood, passion, and pedigree as a Test rugby coach.”

Foster was in tears in the changing room afterwards, but it turned out to be a mere stay of execution after suffering a first home defeat to Argentina a couple of weeks later. Earlier this year, New Zealand Rugby invited applications for Foster’s job after the World Cup. Foster did not reapply, knowing the die had already been cast.

And now he is 80 minutes away from riding off into the sunset as a world champion with New Zealand again taking the Springboks. “I’ve got lots of ideas but first I’m going to mow my lawns,” Foster said. “I will be coaching though, by the way.”

This is Foster to a tee: self-deprecating and decidedly unsexy - the opposite of the charismatic, break-dancing Robertson. When New Zealand Rugby last hired an All Blacks coach after the 2019 World Cup, Robertson was very much the people’s choice, both for his stellar record at the Crusaders and to act as an agent of change. Foster, meanwhile, had been an assistant coach under Graham Henry and Steve Hansen for the 2011 and 2015 World Cup titles, but had no individual track record of success as a head coach. Hence there was no dancing in the streets of Auckland when his appointment was confirmed.

In Sam Cane, he chose a captain in his own image, low key and struggling to match up to his predecessor, Richie McCaw’s, illustrious achievements. The honeymoon period, if there ever was one, did not last long as they lost to Argentina in 2020 leading to increasingly shrill demands for Foster’s head.

Those calls became deafening when New Zealand lost their first ever home series to Ireland in the summer of 2022. New Zealand Rugby backed Foster but forced him to sack his assistants, John Plumtree and Brad Mooar. In came Joe Schmidt, the former Ireland head coach, and Jason Ryan, the Crusaders forwards coach and right-hand man of Robertson.

In spite of the various low points, Foster still won all four of the Rugby Championships he contested as head coach. Yet whenever the All Blacks impressed, credit was quickly assigned elsewhere whether that was to the hidden hand of Schmidt or the influence of Ryan on the pack. Reflecting on the past year from a personal perspective, Foster could not help but poke more fun at himself.

“I’ve just started to get my back nice and straight from last year and now you’re trying to make me hunched over again!” Foster said. “It’s the life of this business, it’s a tough game. It’s tough when you’re trying to get your performance right. It’s a tough game when people around you see things differently, but we’ve learned a lot about ourselves. We take massive pride in the jersey and making sure we reach the levels we want to. The rest of that is probably a conversation for another day.”

You would forgive Foster then for wanting to pump his own tyres - or at the very least keying the All Blacks bus on his way out of the Stade de France on Saturday night. But this is not his way. Or at least not yet. He has worn all his repeated humiliations and humblings with a perseverance that the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius would admire.

Foster said he was at peace going to Ellis Park for what he thought was his last game. Now he is entering his final match as All Blacks head coach before Robertson takes over, he was asked the same question.

“Am I at peace? What do you mean? Yeah, I’m reasonably peaceful. I love the word but I’m not sure I’m peaceful right now. We are where we want to be.”

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