Ian Foster won't rule out international coaching return

By Alex Powell

Now unveiled in his new role as head coach of Japanese side Toyota Verblitz, Ian Foster won’t rule out a return to the international arena - even if it means coaching against the All Blacks.

As first revealed by the Herald earlier this month, Foster has joined Toyota from the start of the next season of Japan’s Rugby League One, as his first job since leaving his post as All Blacks head coach after last year’s World Cup.

Foster will reunite with former mentor Sir Steve Hansen, currently working in a director role with the Japanese club, while former charge Aaron Smith is also plying his trade there after finishing up in New Zealand.

For most of last year, Foster’s All Blacks tenure was set against the backdrop of being replaced, after New Zealand Rugby moved early to appoint Scott Robertson to the job from 2024.

As part of an international coaching merry-go-round, though, Foster revealed at last year’s World Cup that he had been approached by another international side to take over once he’d finished with the All Blacks.

However, as a sign of his dedication to New Zealand, Foster did not entertain any discussions, in order to concentrate on the All Blacks’ World Cup campaign.

However, with his future now committed to club over country, Foster told Newstalk ZB he wouldn’t refuse an international offer should it arise in the future.

“Potentially,” he said. “I’d never say never. Coaching is a lot about timing. It’s about getting the right organisation and those sorts of things.

“For me, I’ve never tried to look too far ahead in that space. That’s why I’ve never been a fan of long-term contracts for coaches.

“I just think we’ve got to look at the future, long-term, from a strategic side, but we’ve got to go down and coach day by day, week by week and year by year. That’s all I want to do.

“What happens in two or three years I’m not too sure [about], we’ll find out.”

Foster also emphasised he’d have no issue coaching against the All Blacks.

Even as his own job came under pressure in 2022, the All Blacks’ playing group never lost faith in their coach, and some senior members even confronted New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson to protest his potential sacking.

While a number of All Blacks greats such as Smith, Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick have since left the national reckoning, a large number of Foster’s former charges remain.

And with the possibility of lining up against so many familiar faces, Foster said he’d find it difficult to go up against those he has a close connection with.

“There were some options to be involved with a few other international teams, in various different shapes or forms,” Foster said.

“But it just didn’t fit well with me. To classify, I wouldn’t say I’d never coach against the All Blacks. I don’t think that would be true.

“With the number of players that I’ve been involved with over the last two or three years, there’s half a dozen that left after the World Cup, but there’s still a large number that are still there that I feel pretty closely involved with still, and want them to succeed.

“I’d find it hard to coach against some of those players at this stage of their careers.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission