All Blacks coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Whitelock during a training session. Photo / Photosport
All Blacks coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Whitelock during a training session. Photo / Photosport
Being big fans of taking one test at a time has proven to be quite fortuitous for the All Blacks, whose future remains unclear beyond this Saturday.
No update has yet been provided on when or where the All Blacks will next play after the first Bledisloe Cup test thisSaturday in Auckland.
An announcement is thought to be imminent, but as the team gathered at their new waterfront base in Auckland on Monday morning, there was still no clarity, leaving coach Ian Foster and his troops in the unprecedented position of beginning a three-test Bledisloe series with no idea where and when parts two and three will be played.
It's a scenario that however peculiar, is not one that Foster says his team are stressed about or finding difficult to accept.
These sorts of late changes have become the new normal in the pandemic world and he has every confidence an acceptable solution will be found shortly.
What's of considerably greater interest to him and without ambiguity, is the make-up of the team he will select to play the Wallabies at Eden Park and the type of challenge his All Blacks will be facing.
Foster confirmed that Joe Moody is some weeks off being available and that it is unlikely that Ofa Tuungafasi will be involved this week, having not been able to train fully at a Christchurch camp last week after recovering from minor knee surgery.
"We have got it sorted," Foster said. "It is competitive and there are a number of positions where you could go either way and be right. But we are pretty clear.
"We used the three tests [Pasifika Series] to look at a few things and we feel it answered some questions for us and we are excited about the group we are going to put out on Saturday."
All Blacks huddle. Photo / Photosport
Last year's Bledisloe series also opened in New Zealand, with the All Blacks lucky to escape game one with a draw.
The Wallabies were the smarter, slicker team for much of that game – able to find their rhythm and cohesion more quickly.
Foster is confident that having played three tests already this year, his team won't get caught cold like that again.
"The good thing is we have both had some games," said Foster. "We have had a chance to prepare and both teams should be pretty happy with that.
"We have a little bit of history of starting slow in a year and it happened again last year and it is something the All Blacks have been trying to fix for decades and have never quite got it right.
"They played well in Wellington and we didn't take opportunities to put the game away so we learned to be fierce and relentless in every moment and that if we don't take our opportunities then the game becomes a bit of a bun fight.
"We have talked about how we have to get into test matches and take opportunities early."
The Wallabies recent series against France – which Australia won 2-1 – provided Foster and his coaching team with an opportunity to intelligence gather.
What he saw was a typically inventive Australian side with a desire to attack and a will to impose themselves.
"They have had a test series which has got us interested in where they are going," he said.
"There is a lot of stuff they did last year that they are still working hard on. They are trying to be physical, to be confrontational. "There is certainly a desire to be around the ball and create a bit of a mess in that space. That hasn't changed. They are a ball in hand team primarily and that hasn't changed.
"They look like they are trying to do a little bit more on counter-attack. They are a good Australian team that wants to play a skill-based team and a fast ruck and run game."
