[ad_1]
All Blacks coach Ian Foster.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster was a relieved man on Sunday after New Zealand restored order by beating Argentina, saying his team was still developing but always believed in himself.
The beleaguered Foster, who replaced Steve Hansen after last year’s World Cup, had faced calls for his dismissal after just five games in charge following back-to-back Tri Nations losses to Australia and then the Pumas two weeks ago.
But after crushing Argentina 38-0 in a rematch on Saturday night in Newcastle, north of Sydney, he will almost certainly end his first year in charge with two pieces of silver.
The All Blacks had already secured the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup and will also win the Tri Nations, barring an abnormal result in next week’s final match between Australia and Argentina.
When asked if he was satisfied with the conclusion of 2020, he replied: “Yes, I am. It’s been an immensely difficult year for everyone, so it’s not about the All Blacks, they belong to everyone.
“A fortnight ago you saw us play our fifth test in six weeks and it was difficult.
“For us there will still be some painful and annoying moments from the loss to Argentina, but at least we had the opportunity to fix it and show that we can play, that this group is developing.
“We have a little more to go, we are clear about it. But it’s a great way to finish.”
New Zealand media were equally relieved, with the New Zealand Herald declaring: “Black on the way” while stuff.com.nz added: “Work done. Crisis averted.”
It was a much more disciplined All Blacks team on Saturday.
Their decision making was better and they mixed their game well, adopting a variety of passes, runs and kicks to dominate territory and possession, keeping the Pumas guessing.
The bonus point almost won, but secured the Tri Nations, although it is still mathematically possible that Argentina or Australia could pinch the title when they meet in the final game of the tournament next weekend, but only if one of them scores 90 points. or more. .
“What I was most proud of was that we hit them, we played a lot of rugby against them and we had a lot of variety with our kicking game,” Foster said.
“Maybe we could have taken a few more opportunities in the first half, but we didn’t lose our way or get frustrated. We were quite clinical going back to areas where we felt like we were getting them.
“We just didn’t lose faith in what we were doing,” he added.
The defeat was a cruel blow to Mario Ledesma’s men, who hoped to lift the spirits of their nation after the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona, 60, last week.
After beating New Zealand 25-15 and then fighting for a 15-15 draw with Australia, they must now rise for their final game against the Wallabies next weekend.
“We were not clinical enough with our ball, in our lineout or in the scrum, so we could not have a solid platform from which to play,” Ledesma lamented.
They denied that fatigue was a factor after three tests in as many weeks and said they were determined to finish their year on top.
“We made a lot of sacrifices (to be in Australia) not to finish the way we deserve to finish, so we will go out there and try to make a great game.”
