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What Ian Foster expects from the All Blacks in 2024 and beyond
By Ben Smith
Ian Foster will no longer be the All Blacks head coach in 2024 but he is well placed to share a view on how he thinks they may fare having just coached the team to a Rugby World Cup final.
With intimate knowledge of the players and environment having coached the side since 2012, firstly as an assistant eight years and then for four years as a head coach, he has seen many players come and go.
He offered his view that the All Blacks in 2024 will actually be better placed than they were in 2016 and 2012 following those World Cup victories.
His reasoning is that this side has actually lost fewer players than those World Cup-winning teams of the past.
"Someone else asked me that and I kind of thought, I think we've lost 8 players and of those 8, you'd probably say 6 are iconic, aren't they?" Foster said on The Platform NZ podcast.
"I'm not sure that Leicester [Fainga'anuku] fills that position at the moment, he's got a lot of potential. It's a shame he's going, I'd love to see him come back.
"If you look at the Richie Mo's, the Aaron Smiths, the Sam Whitelock and all that, you've got some iconic players going.
"But the reality is that happens after every World Cup.
"And I think the number that we've lost is smaller than the last two World Cups."
In the wake of the 12-11 final defeat NZR announced it is closing in on terms on a new deal to bring back Beauden Barrett until the end of 2027, which would be a major coup for a player once-thought to be finished in black.
But Ian Foster's optimism comes from the forwards which he said went through a significant re-generation over the last two years of his tenure.
He believed that the All Blacks possessed the "best scrum in the world" with a young pack that will be around for the next four years.
"One thing that has gone a little unnoticed is if you look at the last two years, there is a lot of younger guys come into this team," he said.
"Look at the front row, you've got the Ethan de Groot, Tamiati Williams, Fletcher Newells, Tyrel Lomax,
"I know we've lost two iconic locks, but Scott Barrett is outstanding, Tupou Vaa'i, Josh Lord, have all been exposed the last couple of years.
"Loosies, you've still got Ardie [Savea], Sam [Cane] is coming back. We've got a lot of other loose forwards, Luke Jacobson.
"In the backs Finlay [Christie] and Cam [Roigard] are still there. Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Mark [Telea].
"If you go through the whole list, Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan, there is a large part of that team likely to be there for another four years.
"Particularly the youth of some of that forward pack is going to be gold. I think we saw a scrum that had become the best in the world potentially. Scrummed really well against South Africa.
"That holds us in very good stead at the top level."
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Latest Comments
Hopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
Go to commentsNot surprised to see Barretts rating. He has always been a solid defender for the ABs but not particularly effective in attack situations.
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