All Black Coach - Ian Foster
-
Gents, let me just say that I'm loving the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Eastern States.
The process of appointing the AB coach paints NZR in a very dim light - blending incompetence and hubris, if you will.
But let's face it: the ABs started to get tinny under Hansen the last few years, and while games like Perth could be considered an aberration before, it definitely showed the weaknesses, red card notwithstanding.
That said, I still don't buy into this paranoid belief that Rennie is suddenly going to turn the Wallabies into Bledisloe winners while the ABs fall into a pit. It still ultimately comes down to cattle, and we're on the bones of our arse where that is concerned.
-
@NTA said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
Gents, let me just say that I'm loving the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Eastern States.
The process of appointing the AB coach paints NZR in a very dim light - blending incompetence and hubris, if you will.
But let's face it: the ABs started to get tinny under Hansen the last few years, and while games like Perth could be considered an aberration before, it definitely showed the weaknesses, red card notwithstanding.
That said, I still don't buy into this paranoid belief that Rennie is suddenly going to turn the Wallabies into Bledisloe winners while the ABs fall into a pit. It still ultimately comes down to cattle, and we're on the bones of our arse where that is concerned.
Rennie had instant success with the Chiefs, who at the time were a bit of a joke team. Not taken seriously as title contenders at least.
In the past you only needed a decent 15, now you need a decent 23. With the right selections and a coach that actually does some analysis of the opposition, a couple of those close loses turn into wins and you are back to where you were when strong.
Aussie rugby never won 80% of their games, but won enough to win Bledisloes and the odd World Cup. Rennie can do that for you if the fishheads get out of his way.
-
First squad naming is gonna be veeerryy interesting.
Thing is, like it or not, it's done now, it happened.
Hopefully they will silence all the doubters, although like when Henry was appointed over Deans, I expect there will be a few hoping it is a spectacular failure so they can point and laugh while saying I told you so.
-
@taniwharugby said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
First squad naming is gonna be veeerryy interesting.
Thing is, like it or not, it's done now, it happened.
Hopefully they will silence all the doubters, although like when Henry was appointed over Deans, I expect there will be a few hoping it is a spectacular failure so they can point and laugh while saying I told you so.
I was similarly unhappy when Hanson got it, and we went fine up until the Lions with him. I hope the NZRU learns from that and aren't afraid to change if the results are only "good".
-
@Kirwan yeah Hansen stayed on a couple of years too long, he should have seen the Lions was a bridge too far, although I can see why he wanted ot be at the helm for the Lions, he needed to let someone else take over leading into the RWC.
There was all sorts of speculation about who was doing what for years under Henry, and has been some around the Hansen time too...
But it's Fozzie time now, all signs point to a bumpy ride, sometimes, the signs are wrong!
-
@taniwharugby Thing about the Lions, was that it was a series that we could easily have won 3-0 - but for a couple of moments of indiscipline, plenty of injuries and the weird penalty at the end.
There were plenty of obvious reasons/excuses for the various defeats we suffered over the last couple of years, but it was obvious to everyone that we were going to need some luck or some genius coaching to get across the line at RWC2019 - the team simply wasn't close to as good as the 2015 version.
-
@Kirwan said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
@taniwharugby said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
First squad naming is gonna be veeerryy interesting.
Thing is, like it or not, it's done now, it happened.
Hopefully they will silence all the doubters, although like when Henry was appointed over Deans, I expect there will be a few hoping it is a spectacular failure so they can point and laugh while saying I told you so.
I was similarly unhappy when Hanson got it, and we went fine up until the Lions with him. I hope the NZRU learns from that and aren't afraid to change if the results are only "good".
This is my opinion too. Fuck the excuses around the Lions series. It wasn't just that it was a couple of Irish debacles, the scrape past England on a technicality, record losses to the Boks and Ozzies, then the RWC Semi final poop.
-
@Chris-B said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
@taniwharugby Thing about the Lions, was that it was a series that we could easily have won 3-0 - but for a couple of moments of indiscipline, plenty of injuries and the weird penalty at the end.
There were plenty of obvious reasons/excuses for the various defeats we suffered over the last couple of years, but it was obvious to everyone that we were going to need some luck or some genius coaching to get across the line at RWC2019 - the team simply wasn't close to as good as the 2015 version.
Agreed, but equally we could just as easily lost that series 2-1 thanks to selection, strategy, replacements, and tactics - all of which the coaching team should wear. I can’t really fault Hansen from 2012-2015 - it’s the best AB team we’ve ever had.
However, the post McCaw/Carter (Nonu/Smith/Kaino) rebuild has just not been that successful - we didn’t get the right people in the right places with enough experience early enough to be really there at the WC - as a result some pieces were able to be pretty easily exploited (I’m thinking Mo’unga’s defense here, for example). Also, apart from Cane, who incredibly wasn’t playing in that semi, none of those positions above were occupied by a dyed-on definite starter by the WC. That’s coaching and selection.
-
@gt12 I will never really come to terms with benching Cane in the semi. I think that's something that will haunt the coaches and selectors as well.
-
@No-Quarter said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
really come to terms with benching Cane in the semi. I think that's something that will haunt the coaches and selectors as well.
I'm still of the view that starting SB was the right call, but it was BBBR who was off the pace, starting SB at lock and Cane at 7 was the way to go...hindsight and all.
As to this...maybe maybe not, we will never know, but Rennie & JJ bailing early basically made it a fait accompli
-
The public are rightly concerned with Fozzie. In our armchairs, from the Lions series it has been obvious the cracks and flaws the ABs have had. We have been baffled about selections, tactics and so forth for a while. We kind of hoped it would come good at the world cup but it didn't. It is obvious that the world cup failure wasn't a player problem, it was a coaching problem. Similar patterns were seen with the Chiefs under Fozzie.
All the evidence is right in front of our eyes, of course we are friggen concerned! FFS! -
@Old-Samurai-Jack I still think that most of the ABs problems in recent seasons have started up front and I don't know how much influence Foster had there. Less than Hansen and Cron I believe.
As for selections, we will see how different Foster's first AB team is from this year's team. That will give us some indication on who was the dominant voice in player selection.
-
@Bovidae said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
@Old-Samurai-Jack I still think that most of the ABs problems in recent seasons have started up front and I don't know how much influence Foster had there. Less than Hansen and Cron I believe.
As for selections, we will see how different Foster's first AB team is from this year's team. That will give us some indication on who was the dominant voice in player selection.
Precisely - I was just going to mention that I'd like to hear what changes Foster has made/ will make and why.
-
@Kirwan said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
Aussie rugby never won 80% of their games, but won enough to win Bledisloes and the odd World Cup. Rennie can do that for you if the fishheads get out of his way.
I'm also cognisant of the fact Rennie isn't in the saddle fulltime until July.
-
@NTA said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
@Kirwan said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
Aussie rugby never won 80% of their games, but won enough to win Bledisloes and the odd World Cup. Rennie can do that for you if the fishheads get out of his way.
I'm also cognisant of the fact Rennie isn't in the saddle fulltime until July.
Current contract? Long way away
-
@Kirwan said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
@NTA said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
@Kirwan said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
Aussie rugby never won 80% of their games, but won enough to win Bledisloes and the odd World Cup. Rennie can do that for you if the fishheads get out of his way.
I'm also cognisant of the fact Rennie isn't in the saddle fulltime until July.
Current contract? Long way away
Glasgow Warriors.
Sure, the miracle of interwebs and the necessary competition breaks up there for him to fly down make it less than impossible, but it'll be onerous, that's for sure.
-
-
@Kirwan said in All Black Coach - Ian Foster:
At the very least you'll be rid of Chieka's siege mentality that must have rubbed off to the players.
They're grown men. If they came in with a bad attitude - and sources suggest a few did - then a change of coach won't help that.
Hopefully the attitude is discarded.
Or those with the wrong attitude are discarded.The issue is where bad attitude and prominent talent collide.
