Coach Ian Foster said the All Blacks were not panicking ahead of the World Cup despite being thrashed 35-7 by the world champion Springboks in their final warm-up at Twickenham. New Zealand lost Scott Barrett to a red card and shipped five tries on their way to their heaviest defeat in 102 years of playin
Coach Ian Foster said the All Blacks were not panicking ahead of the World Cup despite being thrashed 35-7 by the world champion Springboks in their final warm-up at Twickenham.
Foster said there were some mitigating circumstances due to the necessity of giving certain players game time, and although the All Blacks looked"rusty" he urged his notoriously skittish compatriots to keep their cool. "We knew we were going to get challenged. It's not the result we wanted. I still believe in the plan.The All Blacks were bullied up front at times by the hulking South African forwards and their discipline faltered when they were put under pressure with skipper Sam Cane also sin-binned.
"We've now got a good litmus test of where we're at. Everyone is in the same boat after this weekend," he added.