How Foster kept his job

New Zealand Rugby’s chief executive has admitted mistakes were made before Ian Foster was endorsed as All Blacks coach through to the 2023 Rugby World Cup and conceded some aspects ‘‘could have been done better’’.

Foster was unanimously reconfirmed yesterday after a NZ Rugby board meeting following the All Blacks’ return from South Africa after a win and a loss there in the Rugby Championship.

NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson was adamant they had the right head coach, but conceded they could have done some things better in the process.

‘‘We acknowledge we haven’t got everything right, we’re not hiding from that,’’ he said at a media briefing in Auckland.

Pressed about what mistakes had been made, Robinson said: ‘‘Aspects of the sequencing in how we interacted with media and the public is something we could have done differently.’’

NZR chairman Stewart Mitchell said it was always intended that a debrief would be held after the All Blacks returned from South Africa.

Robinson agreed that NZR had ‘‘a very clear plan internally about when those discussions would take place’’, but ‘‘clearly some aspects of the interface between the media and the public wasn’t as good as it could be’’.

The former All Blacks centre, who became NZR chief executive in 2019, faced some criticism for failing to publicly endorse Foster after the All Blacks’ 35-23 win in Johannesburg last weekend.

Asked if he regretted holding a press conference in Johannesburg on Sunday where nothing was said other than

NZR would ‘‘take stock’’ on the team’s return home, Robinson said: ‘‘There’s a few things we’ve done in recent times that could have been done better.’’

But he also said that ‘‘people want to hear what’s going on, they want engagement and access and openness’’.

‘‘When you attempt to achieve that, but you’re not in a position to really say a lot, then the flip side is you are criticised for doing that. We are always learning.’’

When asked if he accepted that his comments in Johannesburg had only added ‘‘fuel to the fire’’, Robinson said: ‘‘Hindsight’s wonderful, isn’t it? We were attempting to respond to a general demand to be want to be more open and want to be more transparent and give as much as we possibly can at a time when people are curious, and we don’t always make the right decisions.’’

Robinson was quizzed at length about the role he and the board played in the uncertainty surrounding Foster’s position.

At first he seemed defensive, saying ‘‘lots of people have lots of views on different things’’ and NZR had had ‘‘a couple of years where we’re dealing with unprecedented issues just constantly’’.

Robinson indicated he had been in a no-win situation.

‘‘It’s difficult, isn’t it, if you don’t say things and think of the best interests of the team and

‘‘There’s a few things we’ve done in recent times that could have been done better.’’ Mark Robinson New Zealand Rugby chief executive

wait till they’re out of the country, you’re criticised for going missing in action.

‘‘But if you turn up and do have something to say when you’re not in strong position to say a lot of things, you get criticised for having to be in a position where you’re not saying anything.’’

Robinson said NZR was ‘‘constantly trying to balance the need to be engaging, open and transparent as we want to be with our fans and the public’’.

But, ‘‘the reality is we are dealing with a lot of different aspects of the situation which frankly we can’t share a lot and talk a lot about’’.

‘‘Sometimes we don’t get it right as a result of that, but not through a lack of commitment to want the best for the team and the organisation.’’

Robinson said the All Blacks’ scenario had been ‘‘a unique moment in time, a real hotspot’’.

‘‘We are drawing a line under that now.

‘‘We’ve made a really strong commitment and set out our stall around what we think is the best for this organisation and the team and we get in behind it.’’