Rugby: Foster's chance for a legacy

Jonathan Poff (L) and Dan Carter slip the ball past Sona Taumalolo of the Chiefs in Napier. Photo / Getty Images

The fairytale will never be penned.

The Chiefs aren't going to do a Kiwi and surge to a win from way back on the home straight.

There will be no lap of honour, no trophy to stand alone in the empty cabinet.

If coach Ian Foster is hoisted upon his players' shoulders after their final match, it will be in recognition of his unstinting service, not in triumph.

The Chiefs themselves made sure of that with a clumsy attempt at beating a homesick and banged-up Crusaders outfit at neutral Napier.

The Crusaders might not have been there for the taking - they're too good for that - but they were vulnerable.

With the exception of the Six-Million Dollar Dan, the Crusaders' backline had an ITM Cup-quality about it.

Perhaps it wasn't surprising, then, that Carter chose to reduce his outsides to kick-chasers for most of the match.

The best thing you could say about the Chiefs' attempt to counter the Crusaders' stultifying tactics was that they kept going at it until the 80th minute, when Liam Messam scored a hollow consolation try.

The worst thing you could say was that they demonstrated a lack of imagination; that they were playing to whiteboard x's and o's instead of what was being served up in front of them.

It's not an accusation you can level at the Chiefs alone.

In this era of pervasive coaching, it takes a lot of self-confidence and, more importantly, experience to try something off-the-cuff, to go off-agenda.

Which is something Foster would do well to contemplate in the fortnight between now and their return clash against the Blues in Auckland.

If it takes a full season at least before you learn to play at Super rugby level, as many judges believe, then there is young talent in the Chiefs that would benefit from three games on the bounce to end the season.

These are players who could be cornerstones of the franchise well into the future.

Foremost is halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow, whom Foster himself sees as an All Black-in-waiting. In big games, the experienced Brendon Leonard has been preferred, not because he has the explosive talent of Kerr-Barlow but because he is better at bringing those around him into the game.

It is time to let Kerr-Barlow, 20, develop those skills from the start.

Sam Cane, 19, might be as green as grass, but he will not come up against anyone as remotely good as Richie McCaw in the final three games of the season. His learning curve might be the steepest of the lot.

Midfielder Jackson Willison, 22, lock Romana Graham, 24, loosie Fritz Lee, 21, and prop Toby Smith, 22, are among those who would benefit from an unbroken final month of action, assuming they are fit.

Tim Nanai-Williams would too, though his best position is fullback and there might be a gentleman with a bigger prize in mind who would have something to say about Mils Muliaina sitting on the bench or playing out of position in his last acts as a Chief.

Former North Harbour coach and All Black selector Peter Thorburn reckons the split for a top-level coach is about 75-80 per cent selflessness to the team cause, 20-25 per cent ego.

That 20-25 per cent might be telling Foster that all that matters is getting as many wins under his belt as he can before he hands the reins to Dave Rennie in the off-season.

After all, he won't be around to reap the benefits of any personnel decisions he makes between now and their final round-robin match against the Reds in Hamilton.

If he can push aside that need for instant gratification, however, it could be seen as his last act of loyalty in eight years' service for the cause.