Ian Foster’s family confronted by knife-wielding mugger at Rugby World Cup

The family of former All Blacks head coach Ian Foster were involved in a concerning incident while in Paris for the Rugby World Cup, according to reports.

Days before the start of the tournament, Foster’s wife Leigh and daughter Michaela were confronted by a man, who was wielding a knife, near the hotel in which the All Blacks were staying.

1News have reported that it was part of an attempted mugging, but fortunately, they escaped without being robbed or injured.

It is understood that their hotel was situated in a high-crime neighbourhood and that members of the All Blacks’ travelling party were told not to go out after dark following that incident.

Foster’s family were understandably shaken, but the head coach did not disclose the incident publicly.

World Cup run

That worrying episode did not deter the New Zealand head coach, who guided his side to the World Cup final.

They would eventually succumb 12-11 to the Springboks, but it was still a positive tournament for the All Blacks after they were written off by some ahead of the competition.

Foster has since arrived home from France, where he has received great support from the public for their run to the showpiece event.

The 58-year-old is now unemployed, having been replaced by Scott Robertson, who has taken over as the All Blacks boss, but he is yet to say his final farewells.

Some coaches and players may be joining him for a weekend in what will be a proper send-off for Foster, who had spent 12 years in the set-up.

“I’ve invited a few of them to come around and pitch their tent on the lawn and maybe have a weekend,” he told reporters. “I’ll supply the music and a barbecue, and they can maybe bring a few drinks.

“I actually might fly around and see a few of them in the next month, just to do the send-off properly.”

Foster’s overall thoughts

Although the World Cup ended in agonising fashion for the All Blacks, after they went down to a narrow loss in the final, Foster’s overriding emotion was pride.

“It’s been a tough World Cup, and I think everyone knew it was going to be like that. We had a draw that’s been spoken about for a long time,” he added.

“I think the whole year we really built to where we wanted to be, and I’m really proud of the way the players stuck at it. I thought we got better and better as the tournament went on, and that’s really the goal.

“I thought the way that we showed what it meant to us was there for everyone to see, and you can’t ask for anything more than that.”

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