Rugby Championship: All Blacks v Wallabies. Where: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin. When: 2.35pm Saturday. Coverage: Live on Sky Sport, live updates on Stuff
Twelve months ago Ian Foster was inching closer to chucking his All Blacks blazer and tracksuits on the bonfire.
How things have changed as he prepares the All Blacks for their last game on New Zealand soil this year, against the Wallabies in Dunedin on Saturday afternoon.
Foster’s chances of still being All Blacks coach for the World Cup in France appeared remote after three losses in the first four tests last year, with Scott Robertson poised to be parachuted in to rebuild the team’s reputation.
Anyone with an interest in the team seemed to have an opinion on whether Foster should be ditched by NZ Rugby but, despite staring into the abyss, he scrambled out.
Foster has not only survived. He’s thriving ahead of the 33-man World Cup squad naming in Napier on Monday.
Having built the team into a formidable machine that has retained the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship crown, he knows now is the time to be brave.
Andy Jackson/Getty Images
Samipeni Finau of the Chiefs will play his first game for the All Blacks at blindside flanker.
He could have played it safe for Bledisloe II, following the 38-7 victory over the Wallabies in Melbourne last weekend. Instead he has made 13 changes to the starting team for the dead-rubber at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Even with captain Sam Cane declared fit and back at openside flanker, and with old heads Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick in the second row and Ardie Savea at No 8, Foster has taken a calculated gamble.
A brand-new backline, which includes debutant Shaun Stevenson on the right wing, and the uncapped Samipeni Finau at No 6 were the big talking points. Another fresh face, midfielder Dallas McLeod, has been listed on the bench.
Foster says he has no concerns about a lack of cohesion for a line-up loaded with unfamiliar combinations.
Hannah Peters/Getty Images
Anton Lienert-Brown will make his first start in a test in Bledisloe II.
“It feels quite exciting. We don’t do a lot of wholesale changes just for the sake of it,’’ Foster said.
“If you look at the last three or four tests, we’ve been drip feeding new opportunities for people. When you look at some of the new opportunities for Samipeni and Shaun and Dallas, they’ve been with us a while.”
The experienced Anton Lienert-Brown will make his first start of the test calendar at second five-eighth, outside his Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie.
“Particularly the backline combination is new, I get that,’’ Foster noted.
“But they have trained together and the components of that group have been together on the training pitch for a couple of weeks so the expectations are that we go out there and if we make a few early mistakes, the key is that we adapt quickly and just get into the groove we want to.’’
Joe Allison/Getty Images
Leicester Fainga’anuku will make his third test appearance in Dunedin.
Questions to coaches and players this week about the World Cup squad naming, and whether was a distraction or could result in players trying too hard to impress Foster, have been batted away.
The responses have largely been about the need to beat the Aussies, to extend their losing stretch to 0-4 under new coach Eddie Jones.
Starting props Tamaiti Williams and Nepo Laulala could make or break their World Cup hopes with their output. The same could be said for left wing Leicester Fainga’anuku and centre Braydon Ennor.
“We’re pretty clear with the players about what it means to be in the All Blacks camp and their responsibilities are really about the here and now,” Foster added.
“Everyone else talks about the future, the goal here is to talk about the present and focus on what they need to do now.
“That’s the only way we’re going to be the team we want to be. We’ve had clear focuses in that space.”
There’s always internal and external pressure to win. But not one soul could say Foster is under the cosh, compared to last year’s dramas.
Forced into survival mode following the historic 2-1 series defeat to Ireland, Foster sacked John Plumtree and Brad Mooar, recruited Jason Ryan and boarded a flight to South Africa for two tests against the Springboks.
John Davidson/Photosport
All Blacks assistant coach Joe Schmidt has played a key role in helping the team turn around its fortunes.
When the All Blacks lost the first game in Mbombela, he was close to being toast.
The upset victory over the Springboks in the second test in Johannesburg, followed by ex-Ireland coach Joe Schmidt being promoted from selector to assistant, resulted in Foster surviving the chop.
Three convincing wins over the top southern hemisphere opponents, and now hot favourites to hammer the Wallabies again. Things are clicking into place.
Asked if the team was performing better than expected at this point of the year, Foster replied in the negative.
“I don’t think it’s more advanced. It’s a point where we know we can’t stop. We’ve got a bigger picture in mind of where we want to be and the exciting thing for us is that the World Cup starts with a pretty big game.
“We need to be at a high point going into this World Cup. We know that.
“This series of five games, it’s been critical that we get up to speed pretty quick.”
All Blacks: Will Jordan, Shaun Stevenson, Braydon Ennor, Anton Lienert-Brown, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Damian McKenzie, Finlay Christie, Ardie Savea, Sam Cane (capt), Samipeni Finau, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tamaiti Williams. Reserves: Dane Coles, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Fletcher Newell, Tupou Vaa’i, Luke Jacobson, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, Dallas McLeod.
