Head coach Ian Foster is adamant he has the backing of the playing group after their series loss to Ireland.
Underfire All Blacks coach Ian Foster insists he still has the respect of the playing group after the failed test series against Ireland.
The All Blacks head to South Africa this week for the start of the Rugby Championship with Foster and the team under a heap of pressure.
Speaking on Sky Sport’s Breakdown on Sunday, Foster was adamant he still had the backing of the squad.
“I believe I’ve got the group and now I’ve got to deliver the plan and so part of the changes I’ve made is about making sure I’m not taking for granted their belief in the direction that I’m heading, but I’m also listening to them and making the changes that we all feel we need for this team,” Foster said.
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“That’s one of the questions I got them to talk about [whether they have my backing]. I’m not in the room, it was just them and with all the noise around, there’s been a lot of people putting me under pressure for a long, long time, so in many ways this isn’t new to the group.”
Foster revealed feedback from the players after the Ireland series had been crucial to the changes in the All Blacks’ coaching structure.
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Jason Ryan, right, thrived during his time working with the Crusaders as forwards coach.
Senior All Blacks were canvassed about their thoughts following the Irish series, where the All Blacks were beaten 2-1, with Foster asking for any messages he needed to hear.
The overwhelming feeling was they were heading in the right direction, but a fresh voice in the coaching setup was needed.
“They also did a similar process with New Zealand Rugby as is normal after a series and out of that I think we got a clear mandate that there’s a strong belief in the direction we’re going, but there’s a feel we need to get a new voice in there and make some changes to get the gains we really want to get and part of their feedback was strong about their own leadership and things they need to do better, it wasn’t just about management.”
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All Blacks head coach Ian Foster acknowledged his side were below their best against Ireland, but is backing them to respond against South Africa.
Ryan, who has thrived alongside Scott Robertson at the Crusaders, joins the All Blacks as forwards coach and will concentrate on the lineout, their driving play, and defence in that area of the game.
Scott McLeod remains in his defence role with Greg Feek handling the scrum and Foster having more of a short-term focus with the backs.
Joe Schmidt has formally started his role as independent All Blacks selector. In addition to that, Schmidt has a key analysis role and will work with Foster on overall strategy and attack play.
Despite the forgettable series against Ireland, Foster firmly believed there had been positives for the All Blacks and they could turn it around in South Africa.
“We’ve still got a strong belief in the direction we’re going and just because it didn’t come together as quickly as we wanted, it’s not the first time we’ve been slow starters in July. I hate saying that, but it is reality.
“We’re a wounded All Black team and we’ve got a job to do over there and we actually want to play a game that New Zealanders are proud of.”
Foster acknowledged there had been a “huge amount of noise” after the Irish series, which had been their own doing.
The South African games were a chance for the All Blacks to produce a response and show what they were capable of.
“We want to put our hand up and say we didn’t get what we wanted out of it [against Ireland] and it was a series of drama, there was cards, there was all sorts of stuff, and lots of debate.
“But ultimately we were beaten by a better team and we want to be better than that. We’re going to South Africa, two tests over there, we’ve got some players in this group that haven’t even been to South Africa with the All Blacks, yet alone Super Rugby. We’ve got to really quickly get focused on the gains we want.”
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