All Blacks 2021
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@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@frank said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@frank said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
Ian Foster never coached overseas and he has walked into the All Black head coaching job.
Bloody good point mate.
Shit, just another good reason for me to hate Foster.The real clincher for me was discovering Fozzie is also a conservative Christian.
I don't begrudge people their beliefs mate.
Sure, but Foster's a guy in an extremely high profile & important position, and his beliefs certainly aren't reflective of an evidence-based approach, which is imperative in any high performance sporting environment.
Interested in your thoughts on Vince Lombardi - widely regarded as the finest high performance team sports coach ever.
Each day on his way to work for the Green Bay Packers, Lombardi would stop at St. Willebrord Church and "offer a prayer in case of unexpected death: 'My God, if I am to die today, or suddenly at any time, I wish to receive this Communion as my viaticum ... '".[127] He regularly attended Sunday Mass at Resurrection Church in the Allouez neighborhood of Green Bay's southeast side, always sitting with his wife in the middle of the ninth pew.[ -
@african-monkey said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwibloke Yeah, I agree and see your angle, but he had a lot more of a role to play at domestic level and the intensity of Super Rugby is miles down on test level, where there is a lot less focus on the defensive side of the game, hence why you see Laumape hugging the touchline, popping up at first receiver and showing more of short kicking game, and lets not forget, last season he and Jordie Barrett were the only big names in the backline, hence the need for him to offer more in attack.
We never really saw this from him at test level however as his lack of size would see him get monstered by bigger defences at the highest level with his power game that he loved, similar to Sam Tuitupou of years gone by, and there's less room to move for him at the highest level due to a higher focus on the defensive side of the game as well as the darker arts.
So yes, he was more effective at domestic level with more time and room to move, but ineffective at the highest level with defences quickly up in his face, nulifying his power running to go with his small stature.
Did Sammy T get monstered at test level? I honestly don't remember that.
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@bones said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@frank said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@frank said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
Ian Foster never coached overseas and he has walked into the All Black head coaching job.
Bloody good point mate.
Shit, just another good reason for me to hate Foster.The real clincher for me was discovering Fozzie is also a conservative Christian.
I don't begrudge people their beliefs mate.
Sure, but Foster's a guy in an extremely high profile & important position, and his beliefs certainly aren't reflective of an evidence-based approach, which is imperative in any high performance sporting environment.
I think you'd be hard pushed to find too many coaches around that don't follow some kinda faith system.
Razor is clearly Buddhist.
With his whirling dance moves I would have thought Sufism...
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@nostrildamus keeps his shoes on, innit
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@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@frank said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@frank said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
Ian Foster never coached overseas and he has walked into the All Black head coaching job.
Bloody good point mate.
Shit, just another good reason for me to hate Foster.The real clincher for me was discovering Fozzie is also a conservative Christian.
I don't begrudge people their beliefs mate.
Sure, but Foster's a guy in an extremely high profile & important position, and his beliefs certainly aren't reflective of an evidence-based approach, which is imperative in any high performance sporting environment.
Today I learned that scientists can't be religious! Seriously, one of the dumbest criticisms of a coach on this board.
I'm an atheist, but like Frank I don't begrudge people their faith. And the fact is we live in a Christian country, even if it's impact is lower than in the past. If you start excluding religious people from sport teams you aren't going to be left with many people.
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@bones said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@frank said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
@frank said in All Blacks 2021:
@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
Ian Foster never coached overseas and he has walked into the All Black head coaching job.
Bloody good point mate.
Shit, just another good reason for me to hate Foster.The real clincher for me was discovering Fozzie is also a conservative Christian.
I don't begrudge people their beliefs mate.
Sure, but Foster's a guy in an extremely high profile & important position, and his beliefs certainly aren't reflective of an evidence-based approach, which is imperative in any high performance sporting environment.
I think you'd be hard pushed to find too many coaches around that don't follow some kinda faith system.
Razor is clearly Buddhist.
doesnt he have a comb over cunning bugger is trying to hide it from us
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@Victor-Meldrew
I have read your posts on this thread and I do agree there are more things wrong with AB rugby than just Foster and you make some really valid points on that.What is your opinion on Foster as a coach do you rate him or not really?.
Genuine question being asked here. -
No need to over-think this people. Where's Razor.
The current setup is clueless -
@chris said in All Blacks 2021:
@Victor-Meldrew
I have read your posts on this thread and I do agree there are more things wrong with AB rugby than just Foster and you make some really valid points on that.That's obviously true when you look at puzzle palace's contributions to its Trans Ta$man neighbour and securing investment. That aside, we know that his current team wasn't Foster's first choice. It appears his strength lies in culture and he's relying on the expertise of his coaches technically. The problem is that at least one of them isn't up to the task (I'm looking at you Mooar). So if the review doesn't address this paucity in competence in the staff, and better rated coaches aren't prepared to change their current employment to move into those vacated positions then that leaves us with only two options:
- Stick with them until the next big post RWC cycle merry-go-round.
- Gut them now for a secured better option.
Option one is a path to mediocrity IMO. Everyone I speak to who isn't obviously brain damaged sees we're playing stupidly obvious patterns that don't make defenses make decisions. The same patterns we've been playing for ages.
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@mariner4life said in All Blacks 2021:
stuff worth a double upvote
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@antipodean said in All Blacks 2021:
Option one is a path to mediocrity IMO. Everyone I speak to who isn't obviously brain damaged sees we're playing stupidly obvious patterns that don't make defenses make decisions. The same patterns we've been playing for ages.
Well he was chosen as a continuity coach. Maybe that's what they meant, same attack for another 4 years
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@chris said in All Blacks 2021:
@Victor-Meldrew
I have read your posts on this thread and I do agree there are more things wrong with AB rugby than just Foster and you make some really valid points on that.What is your opinion on Foster as a coach do you rate him or not really?.
Genuine question being asked here.Genuine answer: I don't know quite how I rate him at this stage. Bit of a curate’s egg. Apologies for the long post
Obviously looking in from 12,000 miles away, but I think he's inherited a mess (and obviously knew what he was getting into) and he can't influence everything in the AB camp - like lack of depth in certain positions, choice of assistant coaches. And where he can influence stuff, we don’t know how long it will take to turn things around. This year he's had to deal with some key players being unavailable which would make any coach's job difficult. But that’s his job.
Pluses:
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Foster’s developed some good depth in the loose forwards and has managed the likes of Akira Ioane better than any other coach. Ditto Reiko where he's back to his best form at wing while developing his skills at 13
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He seems happy to give off-the-wall ideas a try (bizarrely playing JB at wing) but equally recognises when things aren't working and nailed him in at 15 where he's developed as a world-class 15
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Openness to trying new players like Sami T & Finlay Christie (and Brad Webber) and giving them plenty of game time has reaped some dividends.
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Trying to be consistent in midfield and tried to build combinations. He's stopped mucking ALB about and given Havilli plenty of time to settle in. He's also given Reiko plenty of time at 13 to settle in without wrecking his confidence.
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When the team actually does play well, they play bloody well - whoever the opponent is. Just not for long enough periods
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He's prepared to front up and take the crap for his players when things don't go well (but see my comment on communications below)
Negatives:
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If he has a new game plan or plans, I can't see it, or it isn't being executed well. Some of our tactics are poor/weird and/or poorly executed.
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He sticks with some bizarre selections which don't make sense to me. Player loyalty is a good thing but can be carried too far and damage confidence. Think Bridge & Havilli.
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The attitude of the team under pressure seems all over the place as is the on-field leadership. This isn't all up to him as it includes the senior players, but he needs to lead here. This sort of stuff can't be fixed overnight and there were glimpses of improvement - particularly against Oz - but they faded badly on the NH tour. That’s not good enough.
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There's too many mistakes, ill-discipline, and lack of consistency on-field. That's down to him - and his Captain(s).
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He doesn't communicate well in public. Which makes me wonder if he's not communicating well enough with the team overall. He's probably pretty good dealing on a one-to-one basis though (i.e. Akira).
Stick with him or a new coach? A new coach might make a short-term difference and paper over the cracks for a year or two, but the deeper problems still need to be fixed. I'm old enough to remember the crap time it was to be an AB supporter in the 70's -early 80's when we swapped one wonder-coach for another every two years
Perhaps Foster understands the problem well enough, but he, with his current coaching team aren’t capable of fixing them. Ideally, I'd like to see someone like Schmidt given more influence and a remit to understand the deeper issues & support Foster, along with someone like Tana or the GOAT to help with the team culture. TBF, we don't know how much input Foster has in this area.
And then if things don't improve this year, we have an experienced international coach who has worked with the team, understands the deeper issues who can take over and provide continuity
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Thanks I appreciate the response and a very interesting well balanced one.
As you know I am not a Foster Fan really for all the negative reasons you outlined in your post.I would like him replaced.
But I take on board the other things you have said as they are good balanced points. -
@victor-meldrew said in All Blacks 2021:
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He sticks with some bizarre selections which don't make sense to me. Player loyalty is a good thing but can be carried too far and damage confidence.
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The attitude of the team under pressure seems all over the place as is the on-field leadership. This isn't all up to him as it includes the senior players, but he needs to lead here. This sort of stuff can't be fixed overnight and there were glimpses of improvement - particularly against Oz - but they faded badly on the NH tour. That’s not good enough.
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There's too many mistakes, ill-discipline, and lack of consistency on-field. That's down to him - and his Captain(s).
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He doesn't communicate well in public. Which makes me wonder if he's not communicating well enough with the team overall. He's probably pretty good dealing on a one-to-one basis though (i.e. Akira).
I'm glad that you have highlighted those 3 issues above.
Brendon McCullum (a man with relevant previous experience in a critical leadership role) voiced his views on the radio a few months back.
He reckoned that clearly Foster wants to be mates with his players, and doesn't have the ruthless streak to lay down the law or dump players who don't perform. And doesn't appear to have a coherent plan, or the ability to change things up when something isn't working.
In other words, not the right man to be Captain of the ship. Second mate is about his level. Foster simply isn't a natural leader.
A head coach needs to be an inspirational figure, a leader of men.. someone who's a big 'mover and shaker'.
Foster's personality is far too benign & mundane for a sheriff. If you think about all the great head coaching figures, they are all ruthless and decisive, no fluff involved. Eddie, Rassie, Razor, etc.. Crucially - their individual characters are stimulating, influential and engaging for players to stay driven, clear and motivated.
These high-profile head coaches have magnetic and charismatic personalities. Foster has all the charisma of dry paint. His interviews put me to sleep to be perfectly honest here... to contrast Henry, Eddie, Rassie, Razor etc.. are all extremely charming and engaging figures to listen to and interact with (for the players, media & fans alike). They each have magnetic personalities, are witty, sharp & intellectually minded. This is a critical point of difference that our current dry as dust, one dimensional head coach in Ian Foster severely lacks.
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just stop
you are embarrassing yourself
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@bones said in All Blacks 2021:
@nostrildamus keeps his shoes on, innit
Good eye for detail, but devout Buddhist monks go barefoot (like Buddha).
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@machpants said in All Blacks 2021:
@antipodean said in All Blacks 2021:
Option one is a path to mediocrity IMO. Everyone I speak to who isn't obviously brain damaged sees we're playing stupidly obvious patterns that don't make defenses make decisions. The same patterns we've been playing for ages.
Well he was chosen as a continuity coach. Maybe that's what they meant, same attack for another 4 years
Good point, it does seem a graceless but continual slide down from Hansen...
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@chris said in All Blacks 2021:
Thanks I appreciate the response and a very interesting well balanced one.
As you know I am not a Foster Fan really for all the negative reasons you outlined in your post.I would like him replaced.
But I take on board the other things you have said as they are good balanced points.One thing I might add is this: Has Super Rugby become too disconnected from Test level and doesn't provide the experience and exposure to pressure needed?
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@victor-meldrew said in All Blacks 2021:
@chris said in All Blacks 2021:
Thanks I appreciate the response and a very interesting well balanced one.
As you know I am not a Foster Fan really for all the negative reasons you outlined in your post.I would like him replaced.
But I take on board the other things you have said as they are good balanced points.One thing I might add is this: Has Super Rugby become too disconnected from Test level and doesn't provide the experience and exposure to pressure needed?
yes, yes, yes.
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@kiwi_expat said in All Blacks 2021:
These high-profile head coaches have magnetic and charismatic personalities. Foster has all the charisma of dry paint.
Two words: Carwyn James.
