Foster downplays All Blacks’ ‘lingering’ thoughts of 2019 semi-final exit

It all started with an Owen Farrell smirk. The English playmaker offered a cheeky grin as the All Blacks laid down their challenge with the haka ahead of a blockbuster semi-final at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

England went on to win that Test at Tokyo Stadium 19-7. The pain, heartbreak and grief of that disappointing defeat has stuck with the All Blacks ever since – that’s clear four years later.

Some of the New Zealanders who were involved in that frustrating 12-point defeat have been asked about that Test in the lead-up to their upcoming semi-final against Argentina at Stade de France. Players have been quizzed on the lessons that they learned on that fateful Japanese night.

But All Blacks coach Ian Foster has drawn a line in the sand. On the eve of New Zealand’s date with destiny in the 2023 World Cup semi-finals, coach Foster revealed how much the All Blacks have actually spoken about 2019.

“The talk about 2019 we covered off in a small amount of time. It is not lingering in our mind. Most of the lessons we got out of 2019 have been taken on board. We make sure we go back and revisit what were the keys and we have done that,” Foster told reporters.

“Where I’m really proud of this group is that they are just loving being here and where they are at right now. The hardest thing to do in sport is to stay in the now, just to nail the thing in front of you.

“There is so much talk about the past and the future and the hardest thing is not to allow yourself to get distracted by those two conversations, but just to be the best you can be right now.

"We are working hard at that and that’s the coaching group as well. I’m incredibly proud of the way the players are dealing with that. They are not getting distracted by being too confused by lessons of the past.

“This group has its own way of doing things. There is a lot of honesty in the group. They have been preparing really well. We want to show we can deal with the challenges in front of us one at a time and just keep growing as a group.”

Four years on, the All Blacks are in an eerily similar situation. Just as they did in 2019, New Zealand beat Ireland in the quarter-finals as they booked a place in the final four.

Just as they were ahead of the England Test, the All Blacks have been bestowed the ‘favourites’ tag going into the semi-finals after beating Argentina 41-12 in their most recent meeting in Mendoza earlier this year.

But this is knockout rugby. Anything can happen, so the All Blacks aren’t taking their opponents lightly as they look ahead to this Test as if it were “a final.”

"The concept of 'no tomorrow' from the last game is exactly the same as for this one,” Foster said on Thursday.

“We know on the schedule there is another game for the teams that don’t win their semi-final but our mindset, and I’m sure Argentina’s is the same, is they just want to give everything they’ve got this week. It’s all about this week and that’s how we keep things nice and simple in our mind.”