Ian Foster has revealed that he rejected international offers after guiding the All Blacks to the Rugby World Cup final and has explained why.
Scott Robertson was named as Foster’s successor before the tournament last year and the then-head coach made the decision to not entertain any discussion about a new role until after his tenure had come to a close.
At the time reports suggested that Eddie Jones would be stepping down from his position with the Wallabies, which turned out to be true, and many were quick to link Foster with the role. However, that would not be the case as Joe Schmidt would instead take on the job.
“I had a real desire not to coach against the All Blacks”
Now, the former All Blacks boss has revealed that since the 12-11 defeat to the Boks in the final, he has been approached by international teams but has turned down those positions.
“I gave myself a decent window of time after the World Cup to figure out what was next and I decided that club land was the way to go rather than the international stage for a while particularly because I had a real desire not to coach against the All Blacks at least for the near future,” Foster said on DSPN with Martin Devlin.
Having taken a step away from professional rugby for a period, Foster is now back at it after linking up with Sir Steve Hansen at Toyota Verblitz ahead of the 2024/25 Japan Rugby League One season.
“I’ve been through that process over the last summer and decided this was a path I wanted to take,” he added.
“Yes, there were [international offers] but for me, I was excited with the choice I’ve taken and in this next little block of time that I’m with Toyota that’s where my goal is just to do the best I can.
“What happens after that I don’t know but I’m certainly not saying no to anything. But I’ve learned in life to know things like contracts and all that sort of stuff aren’t that important when you’re coaching I think what’s important is that you just be where your feet are, you enjoy the moment, love coaching and it’s all I want to do.”
Foster added that he would “review” his decision “in a couple of years’ time” while he also reflected on his time in charge of the side.
He was preferred over Robertson for the role once Hansen stepped down in 2019 as he made the move from assistant to head coach.
Reflecting on a difficult period
However, Foster faced a challenging first year in charge due to the pandemic and he was under the cosh in 2022 after a home series defeat to Ireland. At the time, there were reports that Robertson was offered the role of head coach and would take over when New Zealand returned from their South African leg of the Rugby Championship only for the players to revolt and defend Foster who would retain the position.
“There was obviously a lot going on during my time as an All Blacks coach and certainly, there were pressures there that were probably a little bit unique to perhaps what other All Black coaches had to go through,” he added.
“You look at COVID and that sort of stuff and things that happened but I spent a lot of time reflecting on that and looking at the way I handled things.
“But we had the full backing of a group of men that wanted to go and achieve something pretty special and I think we left the All Blacks in a good place.”
Foster reiterated the feelings of Hansen who believes that Robertson has a strong crop of players heading into the World Cup.
“There was a lot of younger players coming through in that World Cup that I think will be there at the next World Cup and that probably got a little bit lost in translation at the end of 2023,” he continued.
“This was an All Blacks team that had the ability to really grow and get even bigger and better – so here’s hoping that’s where they go.”
READ MORE: Ian Foster pinpoints the ‘difference’ between the 2015 All Blacks and 2023 Springboks
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/all-blacks-why-ian-foster-rejected-international-offers-after-world-cup-heartbreak
