Ian Foster reveals All Blacks plans while fixtures remain uncertain

Ian Foster will know by the end of next week when he gets to unleash his new All Blacks era.

Through the near-constant postponements and schedule alternations Foster has been forced to patiently wait, and then wait some more, but Sunday marked the official start of his All Blacks tenure, with the naming of a 35-man squad at New Zealand Rugby headquarters that included seven new caps and an abundance of attacking flair.

The Herald understands a Sanzaar meeting on Thursday will finally set in place the test schedule for the remainder of the year, with an official announcement due on Friday.

The All Blacks are expected to begin with two Bledisloe Cup matches against Dave Rennie’s Wallabies but where and when those fixtures are staged is yet to be determined.

While Foster awaits confirmation, the All Blacks will disperse to their provincial unions for the first two rounds of that competition which starts next Friday when North Harbour host Canterbury in Albany.

“We’re in a great position now, and hopefully we don’t have to wait too long while we sort out some dates, but we’ve got the chance to put them back into Mitre 10 Cup and keep in touch with the players and they can inject a lot of enthusiasm about playing in that competition,” Foster said after including rookie prospects Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan, Alex Hodgman, Quinten Strange, Tupou Vaa’i, Cullen Grace and Hoskins Sotutu to a core of established All Blacks.

“Rather than keeping this group in a camp we thought it was better for them to go back there until we have a clear idea about our programme.

“We’re extremely hopeful of some tests with Aussie and after that we’re not too sure but we’ll wait and see. In the meantime we’re fortunate we can put them back in Mitre 10 Cup.”

Watching 10 tries and a raft of classy skill in the North against South inter-island game on Saturday night in Wellington fuelled Foster’s enthusiasm to get his first test match in charge underway.

“There’s some guys there that just want to play. We’re seeing guys who have a breath of enthusiasm and love for the game. We’re seeing players trying to push things a little bit and that’s going to have its flaws and we’ve got to make sure we harness that but it is an exciting group.”

Other than 20-year-old Taranaki and Chiefs lock Vaa’i, the North-South match did little to alter the selectors’ minds.