Ian Foster, pictured when he was All Blacks coach in August 2023. Photo / George Heard
Ian Foster believes the recipe for sporting success is finding the right coaching style for the right team at the right time – a philosophy tested during his tenure with the All Blacks, when the spotlight often fell more on him than the team.
As head coach in the most scrutinised role in New Zealand sport, Foster’s time brought both highlights and challenges, with his experiences – including tense moments with the media and New Zealand Rugby – explored in his recent autobiography Leading Under Pressure.
In an interview with Newstalk ZB’s Real Life with John Cowan that aired on Sunday night, Foster reflected that after a few high-profile defeats – most notably the home series loss to Ireland – it became harder to keep himself out of the frame.
“Coaching is often about timing: it’s about where your style fits with the group of players at that particular time, because everyone has their own different style,” he said.
“Sometimes you’ve got to remind yourself of that as a coach, and just put your ego to one side. ‘You did it because you’re great’ – well, actually, you did it because you probably just suited this particular group of people at this time.
“It sounds simple, but it becomes increasingly harder to do when the whole focus is on the position you have, all the articles are about you, and if your team wins, then you’re great, and if your team loses, then you’re useless.
“But you’ve just got to just remember that there’s a job title and then there’s a person and you’ve just got to be true to the person.”
Foster told Real Life he didn’t come into the All Blacks job with 100% support, but after the series loss to Ireland in 2022, the criticism from the public became “tough” and “pretty aggressive”.
It was support from his family, his wife Leigh Foster and a network of friends that helped him during that time, especially as he had to be the one to lead a squad of 36 players back into winning form after having their confidence shaken.
And he also credits his deep Christian faith with being a source of strength, saying it’s “vital for me and always has been”.
“It’s not the case for everyone, but I think one thing you get out of high-performance sport is that you’re put in a lot of high-pressure situations,” the 60-year-old said.
“When you’re put in those situations, you realise that you start to doubt. Sometimes you’ve got the strength to get through it yourself, [but] I think there’s a natural cry for help at times.”
Foster, whose father was a Presbyterian minister and who has two brothers who also work in Christian ministry, says he often refers to himself as the “black sheep of the family” since he’s the only one who chose a profession away from the church.
“But who knows where God puts you – we’re put where we are for a reason and that [coaching] is what I like to do,” he told Real Life.
“The church was a massive part of us as kids and all three of us went on and decided that it was the way forward for us as Christians, it became a big part of our life – all of us, and it is for my family going forward as well.”
Now co-coach at Toyota Verblitz in Japan with fellow former All Blacks mentor Sir Steve Hansen, Foster says his leadership style is the same as ever.
“If you’ve got the heart to be a leader, people will follow you,” he told Real Life.
“It’s interesting going over coaching in Japan at the moment ... It’s good for an old dog to have to learn some new tricks with language and culture and new people.
“But at the end of the day, what I know now after a year there and I knew going into it anyway is that it’s the same people, it’s the same role. People just want to feel your energy. They want to feel that you care for where you’re at.
“You’re there not just to use them to climb a ladder; you’re there to do the best you can for that group of people and that’s the key. And so you work hard to try and get that right most of the time.”
As for what’s coming next for him, Foster said he’s not too focused on what lies ahead.
“Everyone’s got a different mindset and a different journey. But my journey was really not about looking too far into the future,” he told Cowan.
“I don’t sort of cast my eyes too far and say ‘that’s where I want to be’. I just want to be the best that I can be for where I’m at right now. That’s how I approached my coaching, and the doors kept opening. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Real Life is a weekly interview show in which John Cowan speaks with prominent guests about their life, upbringing, and the way they see the world. Tune in Sundays from 7.30pm on Newstalk ZB or listen to the latest full interview here.