Foster SURVIVES as NZR hails 'magnificent' win over Springboks and declares it's 'a new dawn'

New Dawn? Are we the wallabies now?

Now its being widely reported that it was Foster's refusal to remove his handpicked assistants Plumtree and Mooar that played the crucial role in the series loss to Ireland after the failure on the 2021 EOYT, another unmistakeable sign of Foster's unfitness to command, and that dumping them and getting A grade replacements was crucial to Foster's survival, another sign of his rat cunning, you have to wonder how much tolerance those A grade assistants will have for his coaching mediocrity and his political ruthlessness. That's the thing about Foster. While he has always been a third rate coach he has also always been a first rate politician. Given his relentlessly mediocre record as a head coach he wouldn't be where he is without it. His nice guy demeanor is certainly a very good way of covering it up. He sailed extremely close to the wind in refusing to ditch Plumtree and Mooar, not just with NZR but also with the players, but when he saw the Razor shaped tsunami coming his way he didn't hesitate to chuck them overboard, get a proper engineer and a proper navigator on board. The problem with that is that Foster now has form, and Schmidt and Ryan will be wary of it. This is probably Schmidt's last RWC, so he really has nothing to lose, and given that, his role as AB rescuer and his status in the game even Foster will be wary of contradicting him. Ryan is at the other end of the scale, for all that he has assumed the position of a Bhuddha shaped Messiah, a novice at international rugby who is clearly vulnerable to being scapegoated by Foster and his apologists if things go wrong. But, by the same token, if things go right Ryan is looking at a very long and successful career in the international game, so for him the next year is crucial. Good things happen to coaches who come through with Razor. As for Foster, well, just ask Brad Mooar. He's had both sides. Maybe Ryan can break that mould. So when Foster inevitably tries to reimpose his incompetence, what will Schmidt and Ryan do? When Foster tries to put a fullback at 10 [B. Barrett], will Schmidt oppose it? When Foster tries to reselect a whole bunch of journeymen as prop [Ta'avao, Tu'ungafasi, Laulala, Ross] instead of a sequence of new boys who all have the potential to be world class, Tamaiti Williams and Ollie Norris to go alongside Newell and de Groot, will Ryan oppose it? Will both of them insist on having a proper international sized No 8 at No 8? Will they, in related events, insist on having a proper international captain as captain? In short, will Schmidt assume the role of the brains of the operation, Ryan the muscle, and will Foster be put where he belongs, the figurehead of the HMNZS All Blacks, a smiley face to present to the world while the real work is done elsewhere. So many questions.

It was light banter Muzzo, so settle down with the serious response ????. And fyi it is an opinion not an assumption.

Try looking at the record books, Bro, as they are the ones people refer to, not ones assumptions, Chivas.

And if you consider the Bokke have internal politics to overcome as well as the opposition, the number i think would be much more favourable to the Bokke.

Sorry Biltong 4 to 2. The one you guys stole by poisoning us is ours and so are the three we won fair and square without shenanigans.

Fair piint Uriah. I actually have a lot of respect and admiration for Deans and felt he had a harsh run. I personally would have liked to see him get a run as coach for the ABs. Having him and Smith as a team i think would have worked. I think Deans passion for and understanding of the game is very under rated. He epitomises the concept of a student of the game and imho a very good coach. My only point was public sentiment. The fact that propoganda and politics plays such a major role is always a disappointment and Deans is not as good at playing that game as Henry was.

SA 17-0 1928 at Kingsmead is the largest margin.

Deans was not arrogant. All applicants were told (and it was reported) that they wouldn't necessarily get their choice of assistants and that they were to apply as individuals. All of them did - except Henry. Who then profited by including his assistants. It was a clear tip-off to him and caught the others (which included Foster originally) on the hop. Both Colin Cooper (who'd, also, applied in his own right - on his own like all others except the anointed) and Deans were then faced with negotiating a combined ticket. Actually a collegue of mine (at the time) was related to Cooper and was having dinner with him and family during this time when Deans rang to discuss matters. IIRC Foster dropped out because he couldn't make a "team" In 2017 they used a slightly different form of subterfuge - namely, slipping the time out again and again til the real talent took the deals in front of them thus leaving only Razor as a challenge to the office boy.

I thought I caught a whiff of English hegemony in his musings on the NPC. His reply was evasive and unconvincing.

Well 2017 is not exactly 10 years or so, & it’s not a ‘ take’ as you put it, but fact! Big difference.

Numbers show nothing. History says the comp is strong enough. Who cares what other country's do coz none on them have been as successful as NZ has since professionalism. You are looking in the wrong place for whatever it is you are looking for. You see a problem where their isnt one and History proves that.

I did wonder Lux.

Bloody hell DDSmash, anything but The Australian.

Interesting take. So in the last 10 years Ireland have started winning and are about 50% v the 3N teams, it's only because of imports (who have been longer in ireland than SR at this stage and were unwanted at the Test level). You are right it doesn't show they are improving because well we have been playing 100+ years. Yes I remember how little SA, NZ and Oz fans cared about losing games this summer at home or last year away. Sure it was all about the running win loss ratio and how two Oz WCs 25 years ago show who is on the right path. Well one of NZRU and RA would seem to agree with you, the other is looking to create a domestic league to build a better system much like what was good about Oz club scene back in the day that produced two WCs, rather than stick with SR that isn't getting the same results.

SR squads 5x40 = 200 players. 40 go to ABs or injured leaving 160. NPC starting 15 is 15x14 = 210. Club players starting NPC 50 plus 112 on bench (14x8). On a given week in NPC 50% of people on the field aren't good enough to make a SR squad. It is great for club players but rubbish for SR players. Add in that Robertson isn't hands on with his players for these months but a much poorer coaching team and support staff and you see why players might not progress as quickly to test as they do to SR level. Would be better to play home and away in SR and just beef up the SR squads.

There’s another interesting Muźzo fact relating to discussing the 1995 WC final Danny. Muzzo went to Kings High School in Dunedin with Laurie Mains, Head Coach of the 1995 ABs. So Muzzo isn’t likely to forget that final. But you’re right. We thought the sun wouldn’t rise the next day, but it did eventually.

Well Biltong, did you know that SA, are the only nation in the global game, to have it over the AB’s for approx 60 years, in the for & against. That was turned around in the latter part of the 90’s when the AB’s drew ahead in the for & against. No other nation in the game, come close.

Hahaha your funny NH! Ireland actually took over 100 years of competition to finally beat the AB’s, & then it was with a Kiwi coach, along with Kiwi ring ins playing. If anything I’m not talking about recently I’m talking about overall, as seen in the record books. Those record books, as one knows, don’t show players missing, etc etc, just the results.

So how did your combined nations team, that you call ‘ Lions’ go recently in SA, NH? Oh yes that’s right, another failure of a SH nation!