No 'copy and paste' coach: Ian Foster opens up on public backlash after All Blacks appointment

Hansen proved that when he was a surly and at times prickly assistant who often alienated the media, but a humorous and engaging head coach who ended his career with a spontaneous standing ovation from fans in Tokyo.

"You can duck for cover as an assistant coach and Steve cast a pretty big shadow in that space," says Foster.

"There were times when it was quite hard to come out from under that shadow and perhaps for people to see me for who I was. But that's okay because my job was to do the best thing for the team.

"I know there is an incredible amount of pressure. But there is an amazing feel in that group and it is a privilege to be part of.

"You hear that word a lot but I don't take it for granted. I had no expectation I was going to get the job. I just felt like a player and put my best foot forward, perform as best you can and then see what happens."

"I haven't come in on a platform that I am going to change everything," he says. "I have an in-depth knowledge of what goes on in the team as I have been part of it. And I am accountable and responsible for the good stuff and bad stuff.

"If my plan was to copy and paste the formula then I shouldn't be the next All Blacks coach. So I have gone in on and said 'what is the core stuff that I think we are particularly strong at? What do I think is essential that we maintain? What is the stuff we have to tweak and what is the stuff we have to radically change?'

"And there are things in that radically change category that I am excited about. There are some great people involved and there is a high degree of pain.

"We are hurting and we have got to use that to fuel some change: change behaviours and change some systems. We have got to evolve some areas of our game.

"And so yep I know the pressure, but you have a clear direction and I have got to be myself. I believe in what I am doing. There are some new voices in there and we have to find a new way of doing things."

Foster is amped by the prospect of driving change and taking charge of the All Blacks at a time when their standing in the global game has slipped from the heights it reached in 2016.

But it's the fact that the All Blacks are facing numerous challenges that has left him short of support. The All Blacks are minus a World Cup trophy and their number one ranking.

They also need to find a new captain and replacements for a handful of experienced veterans and for the first time in 10 years there is a genuine re-building job to be done.

And not many are sure he is the man to do it because, like he says, it's hard to tell the influence and ability of an assistant coach, while his previous experience as a head coach at the Chiefs was not a resounding success.

But despite the odds appearing to be stacked against him, his confidence is that he can change the trajectory of the national team in the next two years is undented.

"If you look at our World Cup squad yes we have lost a few players but we actually have a higher percentage of younger players that are still there. If you go through and look at the age of a lot of our backs it is a young backline and I think the best is still to come for a lot of those players.

"So instead of being fuelled by a successful tournament and us talking about how to stop a team becoming complacent, we are now being fuelled by a disappointing result and I think we are going to have some very hungry players coming back.

"So I think between that and maybe an injection of some new players which there are always going to be, then it is an exciting time. We have got to make sure that we have an environment that harnesses that so people can play with skill and physicality and a smile on their face."

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.

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