‘Unacceptable’: Ian Foster reacts to All Blacks defeat

Still reeling from the wave of dismissals and a panic attack, All Blacks manager Ian Foster remains confident his men can alter the issues to save the series against Ireland next week.

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was reluctant to criticize the officials and instead lamented a choppy second half that helped the All Blacks lose at home to Ireland for the first time in 117 years.

Ireland’s historic 23-12 victory in Dunedin – achieved after the All Blacks conceded two yellow cards and a red in the first half – set the series up for a decider in Wellington next Saturday. The All Blacks started badly and after being down to 14 men for 50 minutes they knocked down a mountain of balls trying to continue the game.

“It was a dramatic test match, wasn’t it? Congratulations to Ireland on their win which tied the series. We have a big week ahead of us,” Foster said. “We’ve had a few starts that aren’t up to standard and that we need to improve.”

The All Blacks, twice reduced to 13 in the first half, survived repeated onslaughts from the Irish thanks to a desperate defense to trail 10-7 at half-time, only to wither in the second spell.

“I love the attitude of the team during this rather chaotic quarter where things were happening with cards and everything. To finish where we finished the first half was a real test of character for us. That try at the start of the second half hurt us, trying to catch 14 men against a very good and well organized defensive team is never easy.

“There were an unacceptable amount of mistakes in terms of manipulation. A lot of that was due to pressure and trying to force things and create space against what Ireland were doing.

“It will be a bit of an eye opener, especially for a few new players, to feel that kind of tension and pressure, and trying to force things when you’re down to a man isn’t easy when you’re up against a quality team. .

“We were our worst enemy in the second half, we have to be better than that. We can still win with 14. We have to trust each other, trust what we are doing.”

Showing yellow cards to Leicester Fainga’anuku (charge attempt) and Ofa Tuungafasi (early tackle) and red to Angus Ta’avao for an accidental header clash, Foster accepted the calls.

“No one saw it as intentional, but it was head-on contact, and the two yellow cards previously, the officials were reasonably clear on that.

“I probably don’t see much difference between Ofa tackling someone and him not getting a yellow card for James Lowe on Quinn Tupaea, but we don’t care about the cards.”

Confusion reigned over Ardie Savea’s replacement in the first half. The All Blacks initially took Savea off in order to field a front line after Ta’avao was sent off, but thought they could bring the influential coward back forward. Savea instead spent the last 50 minutes on the sidelines.

“My understanding was the opposite of the officials’ understanding,” Foster said. “They told us they had to live with the decision they made.”

All Blacks captain Sam Cane put on a dejected figure after the team’s third loss in four Tests but is determined to win the series.

“It hurts a lot,” Cane said. “Every time you put on the black jersey you want to win. It sucks, but luckily we have another test next week to do the job and make sure we come out shooting.

“We worked hard while the men were down, and at half-time we were pretty happy with where we were. In the second half, too many mistakes didn’t allow us to move our game forward or create pressure. They are a quality team and they have been able to make the most of these opportunities.”

Despite the significant setback set to trigger starting changes next week, Foster backed the All Blacks to respond immediately.

“The proof will be quite simple,” Foster said. “We didn’t arrive with the same intensity as seven days ago. We showed character, we just have to show it for 80 minutes. I said at the start that this series was vital for us because it’s a good opportunity to see where we are.

“We know the level of intensity we got in the last week and we got sidetracked by some things that happened, so we have to deal with that.”