All Blacks: Karl Te Nana believes it’s ‘too late’ to change coach and backs Sam Cane ahead of Bledisloe Cup clash with Wallabies

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster should retain his position regardless of the outcome of their upcoming Bledisloe Cup matches against the Wallabies.

That is the word from former New Zealand Sevens captain Karl Te Nana in the build-up to the first Test between the trans-Tasman rivals at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Thursday.

New Zealand head into that fixture in pole position on the Rugby Championship table with 10 points amassed from four matches played so far – just one point ahead of Australia, South Africa and Argentina, with the two latter sides set to face off in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Although they top the standings, the All Blacks have delivered a mixed bag of results of late – winning just three out of their last nine Tests played. That has led to Foster receiving plenty of criticism in his home country although New Zealand Rugby (NZR) announced last month – after the All Blacks’ 35-23 win over the Springboks in Johannesburg – that they will back the head coach to lead the All Blacks through to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Massive ramifications

Planet Rugby spoke to Te Nana during the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, which was won by Fiji (Men’s) and Australia (Women’s) last weekend.

The 47-year-old feels although there will be consequences if the All Blacks lose the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in 20 years, NZR will stick with Foster and the rest of his coaching team.

“If this All Blacks team lost there will be massive ramifications about where they are and where they’ll go after that but I don’t think they’ll make big changes to the coaching set-up,” said Te Nana, who covers the Rugby Championship for Sky Sport New Zealand as a television commentator.

“They (NZR) have come out and said they’ve backed them (the coach and his assistants). I know the guys who were maybe in contention (like Scott Robertson) have made the decision to go do other things. He (Robertson) still has a year to go and I know some other guys who potentially got asked as well but now it’s too late to change a coach before a World Cup.”

The ramifications Te Nana refers to involves the selection of players and he believes Foster and the rest of the selectors could wield the axe to his playing staff if they become the first All Blacks side since 2002 to lose the Bledisloe Cup.

“It could be a bit of that (changing players). Actually it could be a lot of that,” he said. “That’s why we’re seeing a lot of young guys getting an opportunity now. Some of these older guys might not get a chance. They might get put out. So I think it’s up to them to front up as the coach can only do so much.

“As a player, we’ve got a lot of experienced players. I think if you start getting behind, by the time you’re getting to Europe (on the end-of-year tour) there’s a lot of young guns that are performing for the likes of England, France and Ireland. So you can’t keep having the same people and expecting different things.”

Support for Sam Cane

The form of New Zealand’s skipper, Sam Cane, has also been a big talking point throughout the season but Te Nana feels that Cane is still a vital cog in the All Blacks machine.

“People see what they want to see,” he said. “They saw Dalton Papali’i during Super Rugby Pacific and he was carving up while the Blues went well but I think that’s easy minutes when your team’s going forward and you’ve got a lot of weapons around you.

“I watched Sammy Cane all season long and he’s the glue in that (All Blacks) team. He makes a lot of tackles. I know, at the moment, he’s not making as many turnovers as he probably wants to but that’s because he’s been having to do other jobs.

“I think it’s taken a long time for them to feel comfortable as a loose trio as they’ve been missing a six. They haven’t had a six for a long time, since Jerome Kaino has been there so now it’s Shannon Frizell who’s starting to take that spot and bringing that physicality. He’s played the last couple of Tests back at home and he’s been that physical presence, is another lineout option as he’s a tall guy and carried real hard. He had a fantastic game against Argentina so that combination – alongside Cane and Ardie Savea – has allowed Sam to be a number seven, which he hasn’t been allowed to be for the majority of the season.

“I feel sorry for Sam as him and Foster have been given a hard time with all the criticism. I get the fans’ frustration and I get that they can raise their voice but some of the comments that were made have been pretty unfair, especially with Sam’s leadership. If you talk to the players and the people around the team, they know who their skipper is and what he does so I think it shows strong leadership that a man such as him not being able to say anything but still put his head down and delivered a performance like he did the other day (against Argentina).”

All Blacks favourites

With New Zealand holding a slender one-point lead in the standings as the Rugby Championship heads into its final rounds, Te Nana believes the All Blacks are still favourites to retain their title and identified their 53-3 Round Four victory over Argentina as a crucial result in the grander scheme of things.

“It’s massive that the All Blacks got that bonus point in Hamilton against the Pumas, so they’ve put themselves in the box seat. I think they know if they win their two (remaining) games, they win the Championship, so it’s up to them to do that.”

Te Nana also feels the Test between the Wallabies and All Blacks in Melbourne could determine which team wins this year’s Rugby Championship.

“For me, it’s a simple equation. The All Blacks must win their next two games: they’ll be tough to beat at home so it’s all important in Melbourne. I think the championship is on the line on Thursday,” he said. “If the All Blacks win, I think it’s tough for anyone else to catch them, and if they lose then it’s, once again, game-on for everyone else.”

READ MORE: All Blacks: Hoskins Sotutu starts in a new look back-row for Bledisloe I