Unwanted firsts and an uninspiring record - what will be Ian Foster's legacy?

Phantom if Coertzee can get a job then anyone can. I did hear Foster say when asked what he was doing to prepare for his last world cup that this is not his last world cup. He clearly has other ambitions.

I think we need the change for that 1/4 final match and Id be doing it for the Italy game. The key to NZ is the 2 playmaker game plan. That is definately to late to change now so I would look at the simple thing of which 2 players work best together to make that work and so far it looks like BB and Dmac work the best together. Mounga and BB dont seem to. The other thing Dmac brings is his bullet passes and his hand speed. I dont even think Smith has a better pass and he is a benchmark. The hand speed from Dmac is exceptional. Thats what makes the 2 player system work and those 2 players are what got Hansen doing the 2 playmaker system. Differene of course is that Dmac was 15 and BB 10m in those days. Quite simply we have other problems with player selections too but if the plan is to be the current one then we need a change.

What is having Mounga doing Utiku old boy? What are we dominating? what are we winning? If the main guy aint working why is it not a fair ask to have someone else do the job? Dmacs Chiefs beat the saders twice last year and apart from BOK it would have been 3 times . What dominance is that? SR is the top level Mounga functions at. He has never made the duel playmaker work yet Dmac BB has. Mounga has been around since 2018 and has never nailed his position down. The coaching staff have constantly gone looking for other options and they now have a genuine option that they wont try in a big game for fear of losing. Well they are losing with Mounga so under what other scenario do you see a genuine reason to change the team? Mounga is never going to be an AB great and he decided to leave knowing Razor was the new coach. According to you he has never played his best ( YOUR WORDS ) in an AB jumper. I say he has and his best is some fabled illusion you and others fantasize about. It doesnt exist. Its not real. If SR selects RM from OS for tests thats it. The game of rugby in NZ is done. RM is an average player with a few highlights. Nothing more. There are so many better 10s coming thru. His 10 play is a fail and its not going to bring in better results than its doing and has done. If you are comfortable finishing at 1/4 final time then thats OK. Im not. If they dont try something new they will get what they have been getting...... Beaten. Mounga will end with around 53 tests and will be the 10 that lost 2 WCs in a row. No doubt it will be everyone elses fault according to you.

Who will give foster a job when this one ends.

Browsing these comments and the knife you have for Mounga, Jacko is not credible. He has consistently outplayed BB and DMac in critical SR matches - when leading a team that has a clear strategy set by the coach and he has been able to run that strategy. Additionally, that team - from 1 -23 knows their role and deliver under pressure. This version of the ABs always conveys confusion with their double playmaker strategy. Didn't work with Hanson or now with Foster. BB jumps in to take the ball, the kicks and the steering wheel. I don't know if SR will allow a foreign based player to be selected for the ABs in the future but it is a pity world rugby has not seen the best of Mounga in the black jersey - I think due to poor coach game-plan, strategy and selections. Robertson will be a welcome change to Foster who is unquestionably beyond his capabilities in the AB role.

Nonu was dropped but didn't throw his toys out of the cot like Laumape did. He stuck around, improved all facets of his game and became a fantastic player in the end. Also, the choice to play Rieko at 13 was made by Rieko. He even started to play there for the Blues from 2017, as a 20 year old. People that constantly blame Foster for playing him out of position conveniently forget that.

I have no time for this anti everything attitude. NPC, Currie cup etc have always been development comps. Where do you think SR players come from? Why do you think Aus are so average? Yep a report came out. Nothing actioned on it yet. I remember other reports. Quite a few over the years actually. Lets wait and see. Youre just angry NZR didnt want Mounga because Mounga isnt a star. Will never be remembered as one. Failed at test level. Good SR player tho eh.

Thanks Guess. I’ve been hearing for a long while now how the AB supporter has been putting a lot of hope in the shape of Razor (and his team). I hope you won’t be disappointed. And, like the Wallabies, there seems to be a need for some player turnover. So how long will Robertson be given to bring about positive change? As I said earlier, looking forward to what comes out of the shakey isles next. Enjoy the Cup.

NZR ain't Robertson, Jacko. Even the NZR won't be what it was next year. They'll be an all new organisation, thinking all new things. Even the provincial unions can see the writing on the wall. The NZR trying to keep an old outside back like B.B. was a sign of their ongoing incompetence, a sign that the fish is rotting from the head. Don't think that'll happen under Robertson. Change is coming, change created mostly by the refusal of NZ rugby as a whole to change at all. The NPC is a breath from becoming a development only comp, same as the Currie Cup or the All Ireland club comp or the Welsh club comp or...well I could go on but you get the point. SR teams will play season long, hopefully with more NZ teams but probably through allowing Aussie teams to recruit NZer's and have them play for the AB's. That's what happens to the ultra-conservatives though. Nothing changes, then everything changes.

Sadly ( for you and Mounga fans ) The NZR already tried getting a player to remain available for the tests next year and beyond. It was BB they went to tho certainly not Mounga. I thought Razor was supposed to be this great coach? Cant he make the 10s still in NZ play a decent game? If NZR allow OS selections the game in NZ is dead. That simple. 100 more players go OS and the NPC becomes a kiddies comp.

Yep cant argue that. What Covid did was stop the U14s-U18s come thru and that will definately take time but with the U20s RC that will be massive for the U20s. I also want to see more NZ15 like they did this and last year.

Don't know how to break this to you Jacko, but I get the feeling that once Robertson is in the driver's seat he is gonna make a bid to have certain high rating All Blacks available for the AB's when they're playing overseas. And there is no one Robertson rates higher than Mo'unga. Given the way politics in NZ rugby as a whole are going, with the AB's likely starting in 2024 from their lowest point since 1986, I wouldn't be suprised if he got his way. Move over Giteau rule, make way for the Mo'unga rule.

Think important thing to note is that the rot started before Covid for the U20's - post 2016 U20 Results went into a deep dive whilst all the Nth Unions started to invest heavily. Now changing and we have an U20 Tournament with Boks, Oz and NZ next year - but we will be paying for it in results for next couple of years for AB's.

I agree with a lot of that BF. Firstly tho Dmac should be given a go. Yes he is just a different version of the 2 playmakers but he and BB seem to make it work far better. Yes NZR hasn't given the U 20s a great development but NZ suffered a far tougher lock down period than Europe did. It does need work in that area tho. I do think that Rugby in NZ is not the sport it once was tho and sadly part of that os that young people don't take to it like they used to. I really do hope Razor brings something better than Foster tho. Its desperately needed

So pleased we have now agreed that mounga is down, however players are selected on form but a coach is signed for 4 years so to just "drop" a coach and try something is a difficult process. Changing the 10 for a match is a very simple thing to try.

This article is little big over the top really. Personally think we need to give the team time and hopefully come QF and Semi's we will be able to make the call over both Coach and the team. I'm not a fan of Foster and have long thought that he should have not gotten near the AB Coaching role - however in his defence couple thoughts: 1. Even now post 15 we don't have a midfield close to Nonu/Smith - Barrett is OK and Ioanes best position is wing. However if not them - then who? Don't see many WC players playing in the the ITM cup - Goodhue is stuffed due to his knee, ALB has a good game and then a poor game and Havili could be WC if he put another 10Kg's onto his frame. 2. Forwards - Locks are old, loose forwards underweight and props are very young - question how many of AB forwards would push to be in a WC 8? 3. Twin playmakers - I have my concerns but what's the alternative? Jordan - didn't exactly kill it in Dunedin and concerns around his defence. McKenzie - just a different version of twin playmakers really. I mean sometimes it's easy to call coaches shockers etc - I mean frankly I don't understand why people rate Hansen so highly - I mean team was established by Henry and he had once in a generation talents then as soon as they departed look what happened in 17 with the Lions and 19 WC? However if you have great players - then sometimes that can plaster over coaching weakness. However when our players stocks are being pushed and then a not A grade coach well results are probably what we should expect. All in all - I will wait till the QF's and then if we do go out - it's time not to hit Foster over the head who is doing his best (which is not great) - but more importantly Mark Robinson - who should have shown some backbone last year post Ireland and actually made the call vs. blinking. How in 2019 AB's only had 2 coaches going for the role in Robertson and Foster - shows a very disfunctional and arrogrant organization that somehow expected to have a parade of WC coaching queying up for AB Coaching role. Further it's the NZRFU who have done little with our U20's etc - to feed through quality players into the professional ranks. Compare the work the French have done vs NZ - they have effectively established themselves as probably a top 3 team for the next 10 years due to the work they have done with their U20 side. So Foster will stand accused if we do drop out at QF/Semi stage but really this is not down to him but rather NZRFU and their mgmt of the game in NZ.

Peter Im not into this "you are happy being no 4 BS" as no one from NZ is happy being no 4 but quite frankly if Mounga isnt moved to the non 23 then we are stuck with losing. If you really want to genuinely apraise things then why do you only ever look at blaming BB for the 2nd playmaker not working? Why not look at both halves of that plan then appraise why Dmac BB seem to be so much more cohesive? Every opportunity Dmac gets, Mounga is named on the nench. Dmac never makes the bench when Mounga is the named 10. Yes you have gone very early on writing the ABs off. Ill accept defeat when its happened.

Was he a midfielder tho Spew? At the end of the day he was a leagie who never got the contract he felt he deserved. From memory he was offered $400K and turned that down as others were offering more, so he went OS. He may well have developed into a good 12 but never game it a chance.