Editorial: Foster has earned his chance at the helm of the All Blacks

All Blacks coach Ian Foster was selected after a call for applicants which appeared to frustrate several potential candidates. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Editorial

EDITORIAL

Here's a scenario. A CEO stands down from their company after a very successful eight years. The company has always been one of the best if not the most reputable in its industry for more than 100 years but had a slight dip over the past 24 months. The top job is handed over to the CFO, who has been part of the leadership group during the same time as the CEO.

Would the shareholders have any reason to be outraged with this decision?

Sport is a fickle thing compared to the business world, with emotions playing a big role when you're dealing with fans, but this is the case new All Blacks coach Ian Foster is facing.

The derision over Foster's appointment was enough for departing coach Steve Hansen to call for support of his replacement after Foster won the job over the popular Scott Robertson.

In an interview with Newstalk ZB's Martin Devlin on Sunday, Hansen was clearly aware that Foster, his longtime assistant, is lacking anything close to universal support among fans, many of whom supported the Crusaders' title-winning coach.

"Fossie is also a very good coach in his own right, and probably a coach at the moment who a lot of people aren't giving the respect he probably deserves, because he is a very good coach.

"He's not the coach a lot of people thought he was 10 years ago. None of us are," Hansen said.

"The important thing I think now is everybody who supports the All Blacks gets in behind him. I think back to my time when I took over from Ted [Graham Henry], a lot of people thought I didn't deserve to get the job. You've got to give people an opportunity."

Hansen, of course, is right. Foster has earned the right to have a crack. Hansen didn't do the coaching on his own during his remarkable reign with the All Blacks. He's been well-supported by the likes of Foster, Wayne Smith, Aussie McLean, Mike Cron, Scott McLeod and Mick Byrne since 2012. Foster, along with Cron, was alongside Hansen the whole time for the 93 wins and a World Cup title.

That seems to be something anti-Foster fans seem to forget.

Was he the best candidate? That's a different question.

Where Foster was let down was by the process. We've known since last December that Hansen was departing from the role at the end of this year's World Cup. Only after the tournament, which the All Blacks exited in the semifinals, did New Zealand Rugby start taking official application for the head coach role. A succession plan would have shoulder-tapped Foster 12 months ago and given plenty of time to organise his assistants. Instead some great candidates to support him, such as Tony Brown and Jamie Joseph, signed onto other deals.

It may have been unfair to other coaches outside the All Blacks camp to not get a shot at the big job. But it just makes good business sense, and would have improved the team's chances for continued success. And isn't that what the fans want?