Ian Foster has survived as All Blacks head coach, with the NZ Rugby board hailing the team's "magnificent" weekend win in South Africa. Video / NZ Herald
Former Super Rugby and European Cup star Isa Nacewa believes Ian Foster's survival as All Blacks coach wasn't all about victory over South Africa, it was also about the rise and rise of Joe Schmidt.
New Zealand Rugby's announcement that Ian Foster will lead the All Blacks through to the next World Cup came with an important footnote: that Schmidt would progress from being an analyst and selector, to a hands-on role as the side's attack coach.
It's a move that Nacewa, who played three incredibly successful seasons under Schmidt at Irish side Leinster between 2010 and 2013, is calling a masterstroke.
"I know how much impact Joe Schmidt will have now that he's physically on the field, it will be immense," Nacewa told Newstalk ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave on Thursday.
"I've seen it first hand as a player and I'm seeing it again from a distance."
As a player, Nacewa enjoyed the most successful seasons of his career under Schmidt as Leinster romped to 77 wins from 99 matches under his guidance; including three European Cup titles and a Pro12 title.
Isa Nacewa (L) Joe Schmidt (C) and Jonathan Sexton (R) celebrate Leinster's Pro12 title victory in 2013. Photo / Photosport
Nacewa believes Schmidt's new All Blacks position was a crucial factor in giving the NZR board the confidence to retain Foster as the leader of the coaching setup.
"The win in South Africa played a part in Fozzie being reinstated; but to me the masterstroke was the appointment of Joe Schmidt.
"I am a big Joe Schmidt fan. This is a coach that knows what he wants, knows how to lift players to the level and will take the responsibility on his shoulders to get them there.
"He won't say 'hey, I haven't got the players', he'll go 'these players are good enough, give them to me, I'll make a difference' and that is the masterstroke in what Fozzie has done; I believe that will get the All Blacks to a new level."
Isa Nacewa believes having Joe Schmidt on the training field with the All Blacks will have an immense impact on the team. Photo / Photosport
Schmidt's elevation has not only given Nacewa more faith in the coaching setup, but also boosted his belief in the playing squad.
"Prior to all these changes I would have questioned whether they had the players to win the next World Cup - I still think there's a lot of development in the players that is needed - but when you've got someone like Joe Schmidt, hands-on, on the training field making a difference, that's a real wild card."
Another example of the impact Schmidt is capable of having on a side can be seen in the performance of the Blues in Super Rugby Aotearoa in 2022, where he helped Leon MacDonald guide the side to its first Super Rugby final since 2003.
Schmidt, a former deputy principal of Tauranga Boys College, has a reputation as a no-nonsense leader that has often been unpopular with players due to his hard-nosed approach to fitness, training and game strategy.
However, that approach helped Leinster to unprecedented European dominance, it turned around a middling Ireland national team in 2013 and lifted the Blues to success in 2022. NZR and Ian Foster will be hoping Schmidt has the same effect on the All Blacks over the coming World Cup campaign.
