The first All Blacks camp for the year is in Mount Maunganui. Coach Ian Foster speaks to the media about the perks of the region, new players and how he stays motivated.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster is adopting a “diplomatic” stance ahead of the Super Rugby Pacific final on Saturday, as the first squad of the year meets in Mount Maunganui.
And he’s shined a light on the chances of Bay of Plenty and Chiefs bolter Emoni Narawa playing at the Rugby World Cup in France later this year.
Foster expressed his delight in the team’s training in the picturesque Bay of Plenty, saying you need only “take one look out the window” to see why.
“It’s a beautiful spot,” he told media at the Oceanside Resort and Twin Towers conference room today.
“It’s a great central location for us with facilities and outside of places that [the players] spend a lot of time, particularly during test season and Super Rugby so it’s nice to have a change.”
A public training session will take place on Friday from 9am to 10.30am at Blake Park in Mount Maunganui.
Foster was full of praise for Narawa after the 23-year-old was named in the All Blacks’ 36-man squad on Sunday for the upcoming Rugby Championship.
Foster had spoken with Narawa and said the selection was clearly a “special time” for him but the coach was leaving him alone to focus on the upcoming final.
The upcoming Rugby Championship was a great opportunity for Narawa to make a claim to be included in the World Cup squad but Foster emphasised he was a couple of months away from picking it.
“The exciting thing is he’s got an opportunity... He’s one that’s banging the door down and so our job is to give him the opportunity to be there.
Emoni Narawa in full stride against the Highlanders. Photo / Photosport
“If he settles in and does what he does, he’s certainly going to put his hand up.”
The Fijian-born outside back is regarded as one of the fastest players in the game with the ball in hand and the Chiefs’ attacking approach this season has seen him flourish.
Coming out of Hamilton Boys’ High School, Narawa made his first-class debut for Bay of Plenty when current Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan was involved. Narawa scored 24 tries out of 37 appearances.
He joined All Blacks captain Sam Cane as the only Bay of Plenty players in the squad, but neither was in the training camp yet.
This weekend the Chiefs face off against the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Pacific final in Hamilton at 7.05pm on Saturday.
The squad is littered with players from both sides and Foster was looking forward to the final.
“Super Rugby finals [are] special occasions,” Foster said.
“I guess I’ve got to be diplomatic and wish both teams luck but I’m going to sit back and enjoy it, to be honest.
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster speaks to the media in Mount Maunganui. Photo / Alex Cairns
“We’ve selected our group and it’s a chance for players to show their composure and how they play under a lot of pressure so we’re looking at it from that perspective.”
Chiefs and Crusaders players picked in the squad will join the All Blacks camp next week, meanwhile, Chiefs outside back Shaun Stevenson had been named as injury cover for the Blues’ Mark Telea.
Foster said Telea had a strained knee and the team had been told he could be out for four weeks, but he would be reassessed in the coming weeks.
Foster said it was “not a major strain”.
Blues prop Nepo Laulala was not with the squad due to the birth of a child and the team had brought in Tevita Mafileo, Asafo Aumua and Stephen Perofeta to boost their numbers in the meantime.
Public training session
Who: All Blacks players selected for the 2023 Rugby Championship (minus those involved in the Super Rugby Pacific final).
Luke Kirkness is an assistant news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Postcovering general news. He previously worked at the NZ Herald for three years, mainly as a consumer affairs reporter. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019 at the Voyager Media Awards.
