“There will be a lot of questions to ask,” says the New Zealand press in the aftermath of the XV of France’s brilliant victory on All Blacks (40-25). With three defeats, the balance sheet of the season has been the least good since 2009.
Le Monde with AFP
The All Blacks must realize their conscientious exam after being completely overwhelmed by France Saturday, November 20, a defeat that puts an end to their worst year since 2009 and accentuates the pressure on their coach Ian Foster, says the neo press -zelandais Sunday.
After their reverse 40-25 against the Blues, New Zealanders finish 2021 with 12 wins and three defeats, their worst assessment for twelve years (14-4), when the team at the fergere evolved under the orders of Graham Henry.
“There will be many questions to ask,” said Jamie Wall on Radio New Zealand after the team’s defeat, already beaten last Saturday in Ireland (29-20). Health constraints related to COVID-19 forced the team of Ian Foster to play its last nine tests in 12 weeks away from home, but the New Zealand media consider that the problems go beyond the fatigue related to these Long movements.
“The rest of the world no longer fears all blacks”
“The rugby knows a new world order and, for now, All Blacks are not up to”, writes Marc Hinton on the site D Stuff information, judging the team “officially in free fall” less than two years from the 2023 World Cup in France.
Gregor Paul, rugby columnist at New Zealand Herald, believes that “All Blacks have a number of undeniable problems, many of which are too profound to be attributed to fatigue at the end of a difficult year”. “The problem for all blacks is that the rest of the world no longer fears them, because there is no reason to be afraid,” he adds, whispering a “confused” game plan.
“The faults that France has exposed have been exploited too often this season, which leaves great concern about the ability of all blacks to solve the problems of one week to the other”, written on its side Liam Napier in the New Zealand Herald.
This is the fifth defeat of Blacks in 21 games since Foster succeeded Steve Hansen after the 2019 World Cup. Initially appointed for two years, Foster was extended in 2020 to the World Cup 2023 In France – a decision “somewhat premature” for Marc Hinton. The Federation “should have waited for the end of the North Tour to make the best possible evaluation on the opportunity to prolong its contract,” says Chris Rates, from New Zealand Herald.
“There are some major fault lines in this team, cracks that have been expanded by bad coaching decisions,” concludes the Mark Reason chronicler for Stuff.