Opinion - So, the die is cast. The All Blacks' win over the Springboks at Ellis Park on Sunday morning won't just go down as an incredible on-field performance, but one off it too - with the team essentially saving head coach Ian Foster's job.
Ian Foster. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
He was seemingly set to resign if the All Blacks had slumped to a sixth defeat in seven tests, however the NZ Rugby board confirmed the embattled coach has their full backing through to the next World Cup.
Firstly, Foster deserves a pat on the back for his fortitude. It would have been easy to walk away after the win and leave a 'what might have been' narrative in his wake.
The prospect of continuing on what is an incredibly tough season is a daunting one even if the team was winning consistently. An in-form Pumas side is on the way, followed by a Bledisloe Cup series and then what shapes to be a very difficult end to 2022 at Twickenham, via Murrayfield and Millennium Stadium.
There is every possibility that, by December, we could be looking back at this and laughing. This is the All Blacks, remember, every one of those tests is winnable.
But the way we got here is an interesting one. No All Black coach has ever been sacked, in fact John Plumtree and Brad Mooar remain the first ever coaching staff members to meet that fate. NZ Rugby board chairman Stewart Mitchell reiterated what was common knowledge: after the dismal end to the 2021 season, the All Blacks were to be judged on the first five tests of this year.
It seems that Foster was in luck, because a 2-3 record including an historic home series loss to Ireland was good enough. Mitchell even had the unbelievably gormless temerity to suggest the overwhelming interest from the media and public had put undue pressure on the situation, confirming that being woefully out of touch goes all the way to the boardroom at NZR.
Chief executive Mark Robinson admitted they "could have done better in recent weeks", which would have to rank as one of the most massive understatements ever. Only a few days ago, he gave everyone on a hastily arranged Zoom call the impression that Foster was toast, now he sat and walked it all back with quotes of "magnificent pride" and "huge amounts of confidence".
All Blacks coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Cane after losing to the Springboks in Mbombela. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Foster himself mentioned the toll of "performance stress" (i.e. losing) but that he was clearly delighted with where they had got to. That is interesting, to say the least. As good as the win at Ellis Park was, it was mainly because no one thought the All Blacks were going to pull it off. That is an almost completely unprecedented occurrence, given that 'All Blacks' and 'upset' should only go together in a sentence if they have lost.
The plain truth is this was entirely down to the previous run of results. Yes, playing the Springboks in South Africa is a tough assignment, but it is one the All Blacks have generally dealt with. Their record there in the pro era is 19 wins and 11 losses, and last weekend at Mbombela was the first win the Springboks enjoyed on home soil since 2014. The All Blacks have now won three out of their last four tests at Ellis Park, making it a more successful venue over that period than Sky Stadium in Wellington.
But that one win, and the very public backing of Foster by a senior playing group that usually cannot even be counted on to admit what their favourite colour is, has been enough to sway the board's mind.
Robinson has been made to look weak and indecisive, no matter what the eventual outcome of this is. It's hard not to think that lingering resentment exists over the very drawn out Silver Lake debate, which saw that same group of Rugby Players' Association-backed players openly hostile to any sudden movement on the issue.
If anything, that is what Robinson and the NZR executives should be worried about the most.
*Jamie Wall is a freelance sports writer, specialising in rugby.
