All Blacks boss hits back at criticism of Test against depleted Wales

All Blacks boss Ian Foster hits back at criticism of Test against depleted Wales by insisting injuries and missing players are a ‘sign of the times’

• Ian Foster has dismissed criticism of a match organised outside the Test window 
• Wayne Pivac’s Wales are without 20 players for the Test in Cardiff on Saturday
• The All Blacks have also not lost a game against the Welsh for 68 years 

All Blacks boss Ian Foster told critics of their game against Wales to stop moaning, saying injuries and unavailabilities are a reality of modern-day rugby.

Wayne Pivac’s Wales are without 20 players for the Test, including seven English-based stars locked out as the game was arranged by the countries outside of the agreed international window.

That coupled with New Zealand beating the Welsh every time since 1953, many are calling Saturday’s result as inevitable.

All Blacks boss Ian Foster has dismissed criticism of match being played outside Test window

‘I find it very hard to cheer up pessimists so I won’t try to change their mind,’ said Foster. ‘All I know is that it’s a Test match, New Zealand v Wales. The sign of the time is there is always players missing through injury and stuff.

‘It is outside the window and we all know that but we have known that for nine months. A few of the media are focusing on that two or three days before the test but it’s nothing new up here.

‘It would not be a Test week up here without people knocking the game or talking about the haka or something like that.

‘It is a game both countries wanted and been in the schedule for a long time so everybody has had a chance to plan and get ready for it.

‘When you look at teams missing players some of them are through injury and that’s regardless of what window that’s in. I think the numbers have been blown up a bit.

The odds are stacked against a depleted Wales in Saturday’s Test vs New Zealand in Cardiff

‘They are the Six Nations champions, you don’t do that by not having depth. Clearly they have got a few players who have not been released by clubs but that was always going to happen so that’s not a surprise and their preparation has not been affected because they have known that.

‘They have got a tight five that is largely intact, a lot of them are Lions from the South Africa tour so there will be no surprise to see them go to that part of the game as being a key strength of theirs.’

New Zealand have not played in Cardiff since 2017 and have several players – like flanker Ethan Blackadder and wing Will Jordan, who has 12 tries in nine Tests – on their first visit.

Foster told them what to expect from a full Principality Stadium crowd.

‘Loud, boisterous, fanatical and red, that’s probably about it,’ he added.

‘I sense a real edge in this game and the atmosphere. We know it’s going to fuel our opposition but we have to make sure it fuels our opposition too.’ 

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