Friday's Rugby World Cup bronze medal playoff against Wales will give the All Blacks one last shot at redemption, assistant coach Ian Foster says.
After Saturday night's 19-7 defeat to England in Yokohama, the All Blacks will conclude their Rugby World Cup campaign with the third place decider, a match that no professional could or would ever want to play.
However, due to the nature of Saturday's loss, and a number of key players and coaches all saying goodbye to the All Blacks at the end of this season, Foster says that Friday is the perfect chance for his side to show what they're made of.
"We see it as a chance to, in some ways, redeem ourselves," Foster said.
"It's a chance for us to show that we're a better team than what we showed last week, and for us as a group that's really, really important."
While many sides would take their elimination from a World Cup as a negative, Foster insists that this All Blacks side will take it as a learning experience.
"We're actually pleased we've got the game," he continued.
"It's not easy, going home, getting knocked out and spending all summer thinking 'what if?'
"We've been given an opportunity to address that, and it's up to us to figure out if we're good enough to do that.
"Whether it means a lot for other people is probably irrelevant to us, our mindset is it's ok, we've got a chance to get back on the horse and show that we have learned something.
"It's important for us as a group that we finish strong, regardless of third or fourth, we're seeing it as a Test match, and a gift to show that we've learned something."
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