NZ Rugby backs Foster as tour post-mortem begins

'We’ve got a good brace of players that we’re growing, but we’re also learning some tough lessons at the end of this long season'

New Zealand head coach Ian Foster

The backlash was swift and predictable. The final whistle had just blown on the All Blacks’ season-ending loss to France in Paris on Saturday when calls for the dismissal of head coach Ian Foster began to trend on social media.

The 40-25 loss was the All Blacks’ first to France in 14 matches, and their first in Paris in 43 years. It followed a 29-20 loss to Ireland a week earlier, marking the first time in 22 years the All Blacks have lost the last two tests of a season.