All Blacks coach Ian Foster has spoken to 1News about his relief at having Scott Barrett available for the World Cup opener against France after the lock escaped further sanction for his red card against the Springboks.
Barrett faced an independent judiciary via a zoom call on Monday night, the committee deciding that his dismissal for two yellow cards during the 35-7 defeat at Twickenham was punishment enough.
Fears that a harsh line could be taken for the second yellow card – a poorly timed ruck cleanout which struck a prone Boks hooker Malcolm Marx on his arm and shoulder – were unfounded.
Speaking to the media for the first time since the decision, Foster was clearly upbeat at the boost his side have received after the record loss to the world champions.
“Pleased,” Foster told 1News reporter Kimberlee Downs as the All Blacks finished training at their base at the Adidas headquarters in Bavaria, Germany.
“We were pretty confident going in. It was a two-yellow [red] card – it was a technical red. We had a fair hearing like we always feel we do, and we came out with a great result.
“You always hold your breath, but it was nice, and particularly for Scott. He felt bad about the whole situation. It’s not easy being red carded and seeing the team concede three lineout maul tries in the second half in an area he takes a lot of pride in.”
The All Blacks were physically dominated by the Boks for the final three quarters of the Test but Foster and company will likely take heart in the notion that few teams could stay with them with a numerical disadvantage.
Foster's men played 50 minutes without Barrett and 10 minutes without skipper Sam Cane, who was sinbinned just after his teammate. For just under 10 minutes they had only 13 men on the pitch.
Asked about his feeling of relief at Barrett’s availability for the match against France in Paris on September 9, Foster replied: “Judiciaries – you always hold your breath because you’ve got a lot of planning to do, and you’ve got two plans and Scott’s clearly important to us.”
When prompted on his alternative plans and whether he could be asked about them, Foster replied with a smile: “No, please don’t. I’ve got a few things scribbled in my iPad about that but we’re pretty happy with where we are at.”
With Brodie Retallick out with a knee injury and Shannon Frizell still sidelined with a hamstring problem, the All Blacks were getting low on locks - Barrett, Sam Whitelock and Tupou Vaa'i are their only fit options.
Josh Lord is travelling as an injury back-up but a player would have to leave the squad should he be involved in the World Cup - as per the tournament rules.
There were suggestions during the week that Luke Jacobson, a loose forward, could be a back-up option had Barrett been banned. Fortunately, the All Blacks haven't had to test that theory.
Barrett will clearly be an important piece of the puzzle for the All Blacks at the Stade de France, but they are also preparing to play without Tyrel Lomax, who left the Twickenham pitch early with a gashed leg which required 30 stitches.
Rookie Fletcher Newell, 23, is likely to start in the No.3 jersey against France.
He told 1News yesterday he was looking forward to the challenge of preparing for the match and would take the opportunity “with two hands” if selected.
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