France have defeated the All Blacks in a highly contested game, winning 40-25. Video / Sky Sport
A long and gruelling tour has produced an unwanted statistic for Ian Foster who has become the first All Blacks coach in the modern era to lose consecutive tests in his first two years on the job.
The All Blacks' 40-25 loss to France in Paris this morning came onthe back of a 29-20 defeat to Ireland last Sunday in Dublin - the first time since 1999 the side have ended a year with two straight losses. You also have to go back to 1973 to find the last time the All Blacks lost two straight tests to Northern Hemisphere teams in the same season.
The result in Paris capped off a long tour for the All Blacks who left New Zealand at the end of August, 87 days ago, and have MIQ awaiting them on their return home. During that time they've played 10 tests in 13 weeks, a long schedule which looked to get the better of them in the last fortnight.
And that was on the back of a domestic season which started with Super Rugby Aotearoa where every game was a derby, proven to be more physical encounters for the New Zealand teams. Regular All Blacks skipper Sam Cane was injured in late March playing the Blues, which meant four other players captained the side across the season.
France's victory today came after 14 straight defeats to New Zealand, going back to their 2009 win in Dunedin.
New Zealand's Brodie Retallick and teammates react following their loss to France in Paris. Photo / AP
"We gave them the start they dream of really and found it hard to crawl it back," Foster said of today's loss after the side trailed 23-9 at halftime. "Immensely proud we came back to 27-25, and a yellow card and an intercept just killed us at the wrong time. A great occasion.
"I know it's going to hurt. The last two weeks have been a massive learning curve for this team. It's been a long year and I'm immensely proud of the effort the boys have put in in the circumstances."
It is the second time under Foster the All Blacks have lost back-to-back tests. Last year they were beaten 24-22 by Australia in Brisbane before being shocked by Argentina by 10 points in Sydney - New Zealand's first ever loss to the Pumas.
It is the first time since 2008 and 2009 that the All Blacks have dropped consecutive tests within two years.
Foster can take heart that Sir Graham Henry lost consecutive tests in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011 before leading the side to World Cup glory, something Foster will have a shot at doing in two years' time.
In August, he signed a contract extension through to the next Rugby World Cup in 2023 in France, where they will meet the hosts in the opening game. There will be a review at the end of the year, as there is after every All Blacks season, and despite the three defeats since the extension, it would seem highly unlikely New Zealand Rugby would make a change in the head coaching role considering the challenging circumstances of 2021.
In another damning stat for Foster however, 2009 was also the last time the All Blacks lost three or more tests in a season. Going back to 1949, no All Blacks coach has lost back-to-back tests in their first two seasons.
Foster's winning percentage has dropped to 71.4 per cent following his fifth defeat in charge. In 21 tests under Foster, the All Blacks have 15 victories along with a draw.
His predecessor Steve Hansen never lost consecutive tests in his 107 tests as head coach, but he didn't have to endure a challenging season like this year with Covid-19 playing havoc once again to the team's schedule and off-field preparations.
The All Blacks had a strong start to 2021, winning their first nine tests, including a clean sweep over Australia. But it's been the back end of the season against top opposition they have struggled.
They earned a hard-fought victory over the Springboks in Townsville, only to lose another thriller the following week. The side then made light work of USA, Italy and Wales before two convincing losses to Ireland and France.
It may have been a long season, but it seems an even longer off-season awaits Foster and his coaching team as they begin preparation for the 2022 season in what will be seen as a huge indicator ahead of the next World Cup.
