Ian Foster didn’t know for sure his All Blacks team had won the Rugby Championship when he spoke to the media after the 40-14 win over Australia on Saturday, but he couldn’t hide his satisfaction at a third straight win.
In the end, South Africa’s 38-21 victory over Argentina in Durban was not enough to steal the title, so the All Blacks were crowned champions for the eighth time in the early hours. a.m. New Zealand time.
It was a 19th Southern Hemisphere title in 26 seasons since rugby turned professional, but even the most ardent fan wouldn’t claim it was a vintage All Blacks campaign.
Still, after losing a home series to Ireland in July and a first home Test to Argentina, coach Foster was reasonably happy with how his side were looking one year away from the World Cup.
“We solved some good problems. We worked hard. It gave this team some steel,” he told reporters in Auckland.
“And it gave us some hard lessons that we wish we didn’t have to live with, but we did. In those situations, you either lay down and walk away because it’s too hard, or you tie up your belt and get stuck at work.
“We are more and more convinced, but we still have a few steps to take.”
The All Blacks remain fourth in the world rankings but will at least now take a winning record (5-4) on their November tour when they face Japan, Wales, Scotland and England.
The lack of consistency his side have shown this year will further confuse many All Blacks fans, but Foster said a full assessment of the season will have to wait.
“At the moment we can only do what is in front of us, which is to finish this championship very strong,” he added.
“I forgot the rollercoaster, to be honest I’m just happy at the moment…we’re watching the last half of the championship and we’re really happy with what we’ve done.”
Foster said a convincing victory over Australia, especially after the narrow 39-37 victory in Melbourne last week, should not be underestimated.
“It’s a loseable game when you play Australia right now, we saw last week how good and how dangerous they can be,” he said.
“We had to be on our game and we had to improve. We highlighted some areas where there were advantages last week and I think we’ve been a lot more ruthless in how we exploited them.”