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All Blacks head coach Ian Foster and NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson.
ANALYSIS: Ian Foster’s confirmation that he won’t coach the All Blacks beyond this year may ensure he’s got a clear head for when he watches the festival of footy in the Super Round in Melbourne this weekend.
Given Foster hasn’t spoken publicly since declaring he won’t ask NZ Rugby for an extension of his contract after the World Cup, it’s difficult to gauge his mindset.
Does he have regrets? Is he relieved? Or just had a gutsful? After his public outbursts a week earlier, when he argued it would be a mistake to appoint a coach before the World Cup, Foster probably feels he has done all his talking for now.
We may not know the ins and outs of his relationship with NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson and the board until his time with the All Blacks is done. But, if Foster does elect to whip back the curtains on this issue, it could add another twist to the soap opera.
READ MORE:
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* Time for the New Zealand Rugby board to provide some coaching clarity
* Super Rugby Pacific: Five big takeaways from round 3, including Moana’s debut
For now, though, it’s important that Foster enjoys assessing the talent in Super Rugby Pacific. He is, after all, still the All Blacks coach that will chase the big prize at the World Cup in France.
Foster should have been satisfied with what he witnessed from many of his All Blacks in last weekend’s opening round. It’s early days but, given all the recent dramas, it must have been a relief to plug-in to some code. Here are five major talking points for the weekend’s rugby:
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Crusaders wing Leicester Fainga’anuku of the Crusaders looks for space during the match against the Rebels in Melbourne last year.
1 What’s the go with Super Round?
This is the second year it has been held in Melbourne.
Last April only about 30,000 punters watched the seven games over three days at AAMI Stadium, although that figure may have been higher if New Zealand fans weren’t anxious about the ramifications of Covid-19.
The Super Round was originally scheduled to be staged earlier in the 2022 season, but the pandemic forced it to be delayed.
Whether the concept will continue is unclear. Last year the New Zealand teams who gave-up their “home” games received a fee of about $320,000. It is understood they will receive a lesser amount, how much isn’t clear, for this round.
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Playmaker Beauden Barrett of the Blues offloads to Rieko Ioane during the match against the Highlanders in Dunedin last weekend.
2 What’s the best match to watch?
The Blues versus the Brumbies on Sunday afternoon shapes as a biggie.
Last year, when the Blues scraped past the Brumbies 20-19 in the semifinal in Auckland, annoyed Brumbies coach Dan McKellar lined-up referee Ben O’Keeffe by questioning several decisions – and the rugby laws in general.
Two Blues players were yellow carded. One, given to hooker Kurt Eklund for a tip-tackle on Andy Muirhead, could have been red. And, yes, McKellar, who has since moved on, had a fair point.
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Referee Ben O’Keeffe shows a yellow card to Blues flanker Adrian Choat during last year’s semifinal.
3 Have a guess who the ref for the Blues-Brumbies match is?
You guessed it: New Zealander O’Keeffe.
Whether the Brumbies players have forgiven the whistler for not being harsher on Eklund is unclear. What is certain is this: they can’t go into the contest with a chip on their shoulder.
It is also worth noting O’Keeffe was excellent when the Chiefs towelled-up the Crusaders 31-10 in Christchurch last weekend.
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Cameron Roigard of the Hurricanes makes a break during the match against the Queensland Reds in Townsville last weekend.
4 What’s the feedback on the rule changes?
Overwhelmingly positive, if the commentary on various media channels is anything to go by.
Rugby administrators have often been accused of being away with the fairies when implementing rule changes, so this is a chance to send them a paper dart laden with goodwill messages.
Yes, speeding up the game works. Let’s hope the officials keep it jammed in high gear.
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Hurricanes coach Jason Holland may be a member of Scott Robertson’s coaching staff if the latter is appointed All Blacks head coach.
5 The last word goes to Hurricanes coach Jason Holland.
Holland, who would have been on the All Blacks staff if NZ Rugby had sacked Ian Foster and appointed Scott Robertson as his replacement last August, kept his cards close in Wellington this week.
“I’d be mad to say I didn’t want to be involved at some stage, the All Blacks is the pinnacle,”Holland said. “At some stage I’d love to do that. But I genuinely have not really thought about that at all, making sure we get a win here is the first thing on my mind.”
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