Gregor Paul: Why the All Blacks decision to stick with Ian Foster was correct

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster and NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson as the press conference to announce Foster's retention. Photo / Photosport

OPINION:

Now the details have come to light about the process followed by New Zealand Rugby in late July and August to determine who should coach the All Blacks, the actions of chief executive Mark Robinson appear less reactive and the decision-making by the board based on a sound principle.

For the last few months, the events of those chaotic weeks between the end of the series against Ireland and the All Blacks tests in South Africa have sat uncomfortably with the wider rugby fraternity.

It appeared that the national body was being directed by media pressure and not in control of the process to evaluate whether to retain Ian Foster as head coach or bring in Scott Robertson in a bold and dramatic change of direction.

But the Herald’s story of what really happened reveals that the process, while flawed at times in its communication, was at least robust and well-considered.

What must be remembered is NZR did not have the luxury of time.

With the All Blacks assembling to play Argentina just six days after they returned from South Africa, it was imperative for NZR to have an alternative head coach ready to immediately take over should it part ways with Foster.

And because this couldn’t be an open tender process, but a straight choice between a specifically identified alternative and the incumbent, NZR had to understand the likely make-up of Robertson’s coaching team to contrast and compare what they had with what they could have.

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson. Photo / Photosport

What made this yet more delicate was the legality of discussing Robertson’s “in principle” thinking, while Foster was under contract in the role.

The situation inside the All Blacks was also fluid, as coaching changes had been made after the Ireland series and the impact of those was playing out in South Africa.

The improvements the All Blacks made between their defeat in the first test against the Boks and their victory a week later at Ellis Park surprised everyone and could hardly be dismissed in the broader evaluation of the team’s potential to keep growing under Foster’s command.

There were many moving parts, none more critical than Joe Schmidt, the placement of whom as the kingmaker may bother some critics, as it creates an argument that if he’s viewed by NZR as a non-negotiable, mandatory figure in any given All Blacks set-up, should he not be the head coach?

But as the board rationalised, he brings a skillset and body of experience that aligns perfectly with the short-to-mid-term needs of the All Blacks.

It is the threat posed by the Northern Hemisphere that worries the All Blacks the most in their quest to win the 2023 World Cup, and Schmidt brings deep insight into what makes those teams tick, having been at the helm of Ireland for eight years where he mostly plotted how to beat other Six Nations teams.

Just as significantly, what weighed in the board’s thinking was the importance of seeing the sum of the coaching parts not the individual values.

Much of the reason the All Blacks were struggling at the end of last year through to the series against Ireland in July was because they had assistant coaches who were underperforming.

The addition of Jason Ryan (L) and Joe Schmidt to the All Blacks coaching fold has proven to a be a shrewd move. Photo / Photosport

The game has become so nuanced and detailed around so many specific areas, and the All Blacks have expanded to operate with 35-plus players and 15 management staff, that the system melts down if not everyone is pulling their weight.

The head coach has to be a big-picture, strategic operator, managing and planning – something that isn’t possible if they are forced to plug skill gaps in the set-up.

The success of a head coach is largely dependent on the ability and experience of his assistants, and to put this bluntly, Graham Henry would have had the tenure he did without the heavyweight duo of Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen alongside him.

And as the Herald will detail in the coming weeks in its Inside the All Blacks Machine series, the head coaching role is vastly more complex and demanding than it was even 10 years ago, and the depth and breadth of skills required to succeed are hugely under-appreciated.

It’s a series that will try to understand the internal conflicts that exist inside the All Blacks, the scope of the responsibilities the team carries and where the pressure points truly sit.

Ultimately, it’s a series that will contextualise the enormity of the All Blacks head coaching role and better frame and mostly justify the decision to stick with Foster as the right one.