Lucky Maree
After a weekend of celebrating a great victory for the Springboks against their greatest foe, it is quite sad to reflect on what can only be described as a pitifully ordinary All Blacks performance.
After the match, it was breathtaking to see Ian Foster saying that his team had played better than in a long time.
With a big smile on his face he complimented the Springboks on their great match.
Shameful!
Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.
He seemed so happy to lose.
By contrast, legendary New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick, who retired in 1997, said he didn’t console the players if they lost a match.
“I never tried to make them feel better. I sent them to their rooms and told them to focus on how they felt. I said, ‘Remember how you feel now and hope you never feel this way again’.”
Whether you agree with the Springbok strategy or not, you have to agree that there was a strategy. The Boks played with a plan.
On the other hand, if the All Blacks had a strategy, they hid it very carefully. The All Blacks did not seem to have a plan.
And it is not as if these are ordinary players. The team included players like Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith, Dane Coles, Richie Mo’unga and others.
These are guys you would expect to see in an All Blacks Hall of Fame. And they are forced to follow Foster and stand around sheepishly as the other team celebrates.
New Zealand Rugby can’t afford to lose like this. New Zealand as a rugby playing nation can’t afford that kind of performance, and world rugby can’t afford it.
How can bosses from New Zealand Rugby allow that to continue? Hasn’t it reached a stage where the board of NZR presented CEO Mark Robinson with an ultimatum: “Either Foster goes, or you go!”
Image source: @NZHerald
