Head coach Mario Ledesma of Argentina talks with head coach Ian Foster of the All Blacks ahead of the 2020 Tri-Nations rugby match. Photo / Getty Images.
Head coach Mario Ledesma of Argentina talks with head coach Ian Foster of the All Blacks ahead of the 2020 Tri-Nations rugby match. Photo / Getty Images.
Ian Foster's message to his under-fire All Blacks and, by extension, the increasingly anxious New Zealand public boils down to two words: Don't panic.
Foster knows more than anyone, however, such a statement will only be validated by victory.
Three starting changes for the All Blacks – all in theforward pack – amount to a conservative selection reaction following successive defeats for the first time in nine years.
Foster has retained faith in his misfiring backline, offering one final chance this year to absorb lessons around the poor option-taking and lack of attacking variety that punctuated the first loss to the Pumas two weeks ago, while urging his key decision-makers to put those elements right on Saturday in the sweltering Newcastle heat that's expected to hit 37 degrees.
Jordie Barrett's retention on the right wing, where his long-range goal kicking was a factor, combined with the Richie Mo'unga-Beauden Barrett dual playmaker combination will be scrutinised after the predictable attack failed to penetrate the Pumas brick wall.
Up front Blues blindside Akira Ioane, following his brief but impressive starting cameo in the Brisbane defeat to the Wallabies, tighthead prop Nepo Laulala and lock Scott Barrett are promoted to the starting side, with Shannon Frizell dropped from the squad.
Those changes demand more urgency to the breakdown, in the carry, on defence and an improved set piece platform.
In all Foster has made five changes to his revamped bench where Patrick Tuipulotu, Hoskins Sotutu, Tyrel Lomax and Will Jordan are among those tasked with providing significant impact when the heat takes its toll.
Sam Cane of the All Blacks celebrates with head coach Ian Foster after beating the Wallabies. Photo / Getty Images.
The All Blacks greatest challenge this week, though, is rediscovering their composure.
The sense of calm once world leading with this team vanished in recent weeks. They've been rattled off the ball with discipline issues; flustered when unable to assert physical dominance.
Whatever happens against a passionate Pumas side featuring several changes but likely further fuelled by Diego Maradona's death, pressure and anxiety cannot consume the All Blacks' decision-making.
"The anxiety and the tension are there every time you play in an All Black jersey," Foster said. "Obviously people get very disappointed when we have a loss and I understand all that but within this camp we've got to process the lessons and then go forward.
"On the park we need to be clear on what we're doing and then trust the guy next to you. They're the clear messages. You can't get hooked up in the past. You can carry the hurt around for a while but that doesn't help you for the next game.
"We've had some hard conversations about where we didn't feel we were up to our level but at the same time you still want to empower players to go out and play.
"For a number of younger players it's the first time they're feeling that pressure and the adversity of having to respond as an All Black."
As for Foster, and the vehement criticism he's copped from all angles, there's no sense he's shying away from his responsibility to lead a much-needed response that seeks to calm a nation on the verge of descending into major rugby despair.
In the face of constant calls for change on and off the park, Foster is largely defiant – standing firm to his selection and tactical beliefs. After two weeks of attempting to amend issues with identifying and exploiting space, the players will either repay that faith or essentially throw their coach to the wolves.
"You get what you get in this business and no one else defines who you are and what you believe in," Foster said. "You make your own choices. What's being said has been said.
"Internally we've got our own standards we want to meet and when we don't get to that level clearly it's going to come down on me and I understand that, but it doesn't change that I've got a lot of belief in this group. I know there are some areas we're learning and growing but we've got to prove that on that park."
Head coach Ian Foster of the All Blacks. Photo / Getty Images.
For typically honest insight into how successive defeats sit within the All Blacks, it's impossible to go past Dane Coles after what he described as a gut-wrenching review, and a long wait to right the wrongs.
"I've been in this team twice when we've been the first team to lose to a country," Coles said, referring to the All Blacks' maiden defeat to Ireland in Chicago in 2016. "I don't think you'll ever lose that feeling it's probably a scar that will stay with you for the rest of your rugby career.
"Personally it's something that hurts. Fortunately, we get to play them again and it's a chance to heal that scar a little bit and get on with life."
