Whangārei-based Ajit Balasingham was one of nine NZR board members who decided to let Ian Foster continue as the All Blacks' head coach.
Photo / Imran Ali
Whangārei-based Ajit Balasingham was one of nine NZR board members who decided to let Ian Foster continue as the All Blacks' head coach.
Photo / Imran Ali
A Northland-based New Zealand Rugby board member has spoken up about the pressure in the lead-up to the decision on All Blacks head coach Ian Foster's future.
Speaking for himself only and steering clear of the process that culminated in the decision, Ajit Balasingham is hugely relieved it's over, and that Foster and the players can now keep their focus on the Rugby Championship.
At a press conference on Wednesday, board chairman Stewart Mitchell announced Foster would lead the team into next year's Rugby World Cup in France.
Former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt has been promoted in the coaching set-up and will now lead the All Blacks' attack.
Whangārei-based Balasingham was one of nine board members who made the decision on Foster.
"It's tough... to be able to gather the necessary information and make a decision. It's more than the usual decisions because you have to think things through for a couple of days before the meeting so the pressure is there," he said, following the meeting.
"I am quite relieved, now that we've made that decision. Personally, it was a pressure situation because we had to make such an important decision in New Zealand rugby. You never take something like this lightly.
"There's a lot of thinking, a lot of fact-finding when it comes to dealing with people, their careers and livelihoods so it's really tough."
On the fact their decision may not go down well in some quarters, Balasingham said: "Whatever decision we make, it won't make everyone happy. We made a decision based on facts, rather than emotion."
The New Zealand Rugby board has decided that Ian Foster will take the All Blacks to the Rugby World Cup in France.
Photo / NZME
He said he's had emails and text messages from those who were happy the board persevered with Foster.
"We've got to move on, we can't relitigate the same issues and hopefully the All Blacks put on some good performances in the upcoming Rugby Championship matches," Balasingham said.
"The series loss against Ireland was very disappointing for all of us and we made a few mistakes in South Africa but also put on a good performance in the win - but the focus now is on four more games that are left in the Rugby Championship," Balasingham said.
Former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy, Bailey Mackey, Mark Hutton, Rowena Davenport, Bart Campbell, Wayne Young and Dr Farah Palmer are the other NZR board members.
The board was unanimous in backing Foster and his team.
Balasingham is also on the Northland Rugby Union board and served as the interim chief executive of the Blues.
There was plenty of speculation that Crusaders' mentor Scott Robertson would replace Foster as head coach, while NZR chief executive Mark Robinson remained tightlipped, saying Foster's future would only be determined once the team arrived home from South Africa this week.
Earlier this month, Robertson dropped a bombshell, saying he was open to offers from rival test nations.
England already looms as one possibility as Robertson sets his sights on replicating his success in charge of the Crusaders on rugby's biggest stages.
In April, following a review of last year's northern tour that finished with successive defeats to Ireland and France, Foster requested to be judged on the All Blacks' first five tests of this season.
That includes the underwhelming 2-1 home series defeat to Ireland and the 1-1 Rugby Championship battles with the Springboks at Mbombela and Ellis Park.
