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Ian Foster says Owen Franks' omission from the RWC squad was by slimmest of margins

August 28, 2019

The assistant coach talked about why Franks wasn’t selected to go to Japan. (Source: Other)

All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster says the decision to drop veteran prop Owen Franks from the World Cup squad was a "horrible call really". 

Foster couldn’t speak more highly of Franks saying he’s a special player amongst the group and has always worked hard for the black jersey.

“He’s been an outstanding All Black, and outstanding contributor.”

The assistant coach said there have been the tightest margins between players being included and omitted.

“We’ve sort of seen the last 12 months the roles of props to be very mobile, to get really heavily involved in both attack and defence, we just feel we’ve got some other guys that have put their hands up strong in that area.”

“We’ve always been a team that’s used a catch pass game and a skill set focused with our tight forwards and now the rest of the world is doing it,” Foster told 1 News.

Foster suggests there’s still a chance for players to be called in if they need replacements as the tournament gets under way.

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