All Blacks coach Ian Foster has survived, with New Zealand Rugby backing the much-maligned coach to lead the team through to next year's Rugby World Cup.
The All Blacks' poor form over the last 12 months has seen Foster come under intense scrutiny in the lead up to a brilliant victory over the Springboks last weekend.
FULL VIDEO: NZR hold news conference as Foster remains coach
That performance appears to have given the NZR board enough evidence that Foster is the right man for the job.
NZR board chair Stewart Mitchell said he was excited about the potential of coaching trio Foster, Joe Schmidt, and Jason Ryan. (Source: 1News)
That victory was just the All Blacks' second in their last seven Tests. They next face Argentina in Christchurch a week on Saturday.
Meanwhile, All Blacks selector and former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt is set to take "a new and expanded role" in the coaching team.
"Joe (Schmidt) has had a positive impact in the two weeks since he started working alongside Ian and with (new forwards coach) Jason (Ryan) having a similarly positive impact in South Africa in his two weeks in the role we’re very excited about this incredibly capable and experienced coaching trio going forward," NZR board chair Stewart Mitchell said.
Schmidt led the side during the All Blacks' only victory in the home series against Ireland earlier this year after the All Blacks coaching staff were ruled out with Covid-19.
Robinson said he was in a no-win situation in fronting media on Sunday to address the ongoing speculation around Ian Foster’s position. (Source: 1News)
NZR chief executive Mark Robinson said it was the beginning of "a new dawn" for the team.
"There's some freshness and variety and change coming into it that will make a significant difference going forward."
Foster told media he didn't know he was definitely going to keep his job until Wednesday morning, but said he welcomed the intense scrutiny and critique from both the public and NZR.
"It's not a job you go into and think 'wow I've got my next three to four years sorted'. You know there's going to be obstacles...my goal is to not succumb to the pressure but to make sure we get it ingrained into how we can improve."
The All Blacks coach will lead the team through to next year’s Rugby World Cup after getting the unanimous backing of NZR. (Source: 1News)
The All Blacks coach said he had a strong belief his side could win the World Cup next year, despite the lean trot in recent times.
"The first five Tests this year were always going to be immensely tough. It's not often we play five Tests in a row against teams that are basically ranked higher than us in the world.
"We got tested and we fell short in a few areas. But I want to reassure people that we're not just sitting there justifying that, we're actually saying 'okay what have we learnt from that'."
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