NEW ZEALAND HEAD coach Ian Foster didn’t spark any further controversy when asked to weigh in on the bizarre spying claims raised during Ireland’s Captain’s Run press conference at the Stade de France today.
During this morning’s media session, a TV journalist from New Zealand asked Ireland attack coach Mike Catt if they had a team photographer at the All Blacks’ training session in Paris yesterday.
The question was based on a photographer from Inpho Sports Photography who works closely with Ireland during tournaments attending the short media vision access portion of the training session, which would be a routine part of the job on most Test weeks.
Catt laughed off the suggestion and later on Friday, Foster was asked for his thoughts.
“I never heard of it,” Foster replied in his typically languid style. “I haven’t seen any little photographer hiding under bushes at our training. I don’t mean to be flippant, but I never heard of it… Tense old time, isn’t it?”
Foster was happy to shrug off the suggestion before speaking confidently about his team’s chances in tomorrow’s quarter-final across an entertaining and engaging press conference, with the New Zealander warning the media the questions “better be interesting” after his 40-minute car journey across the city.
“I’m always relaxed when we’ve prepared well and we have,” he explained.
“I enjoyed watching the players prepare this week, they’re keen. We know what’s ahead of us, I can’t wait.
“The work they have done, the work we have put in in the last three or four months really (gives me confidence). We’ve always known coming to this World Cup that assuming we did the business in the pool, it was most likely Ireland or South Africa. Either way you have got a monster quarter-final. It’s not like this is a surprise.
“Mentally we have been ready for it and mentally we know that we have to prepare a week at a time.
“I have full belief in this group. If you look at the quarter-finals, there are going to be four quality teams that won’t be in the semi-finals ands we’re pretty determined that we’re not one of them.
“We know it is going to be a massive game. The only way to go into these games is believing in your game and who you are, and we do.
“I’ve probably already given them (the players) my final message: really, I just think trust themselves, trust the work we’ve done as a group and trust the work we’ve done on the field and off the field and go out and express yourself.
“Quarter-finals, we don’t want to die wondering, you don’t want to go in your shell, you still want to play our game and it’s important to us that we do.”
The New Zealand boss also discussed whether Joe Schmidt’s inside knowledge of the Ireland camp can be an influential factor in the game.
“Look, I think no more than normal. Joe’s been awesome since he joined us last year. I think the information and the different coaching background that he had, he’s been able to bring that influence in from the middle of last year. So, there’s been nothing more, it hasn’t been heavily loaded towards his insight into Irish rugby.
“In a funny old way, when you get into the play-offs, it’s actually become more and more about us than probably what you think. And I am sure Ireland’s the same. They’ve got a lot of belief in their game, we’ve got a lot belief in ours. So for us it’s about mastery of what we do and making some adaptations based on the opposition we play.
“I am sure there will be some mixed emotions for Joe in some ways. He’s very passionate, he loved his time in Ireland and it was a very special time for him. But he’s loving his time in this team too and we’re enjoying having him.”
A Dublin team with everyone making themselves available to the team,will be a very dangerous team. And only a good thing for hurling. Next year you could have 4 teams in Leinster and be 5 teams in Munster that on anyones day could beat eachother.
@Jack Fogarty: you could possibly have 6 teams in Munster if it wasn’t for jackasses like yer man above.
Sorry Ger, but you’re just embarrassing yourself. And I don’t even like Dublin.
@Eoin Nolan: fu€k you
@Ger Martin: The truth hurts doesn’t it sweetheart?
@Ciara Baines: nope
I actually don’t give a fu€k what you think
I told the truth there and that’s why you are responding through bitterness
All you Dublin ponses are all the same
Take you out of the city in any direction and there will be traffic chaos as it’s like rabbits caught in headlights
Ha ha €unts all of ye
@Ger Martin: hahahahahahahahahahahahaha thanks for not disappointing Geraldine.
@Ger Martin: hahaha, no arguing with that!!!! Good man.
They will win fu€k all
The gaa will pump a load of money in as usual to have a manufactured team trying to play a traditional game against the lads that uts bred into since they came out of the cradle
And also with a fella that knows no more about hurling than a pig knows about having a holiday
You will see a glass eye growing out if a tom cats arse before you will see that crowd winning a championship
@Ger Martin: I take it you dont like the Dubs Ger
@Ger Martin: what about the nucleus
@Ger Lyons: the nucleus could do it
@Mervyn Queally: fu€k them
The dubs think the whole world revolves around them and everyone should bow down to them
I hope the piss is hammered out of them in every game they play
@Ger Martin: gilroy played both hurling and football with vinnys ya fool. All the lads who dropped off the panal will come back in. He led the footballers to the 1st sam maguire in 16 yrs im sure hes gonna have a huge impact on the hurlers.
To be fair, it’s comments like this that convince us how bloody thick the rest of the country is.
@ryan o sullivan: he led them
It’s you that’s the fool you fu€kin pri€k
Kerry fu€kin handed it to them
So what if he played club hurling with the vinnies you Dublin fu€kin ponse
That doesn’t make him an inter county manager
And as for being a player he wasn’t worth one bucket of goats shit you €unt
@BlueMagic: it’s a gas rant to read all the same, amazed he could post the comments before his exploded from all that Dublin hatred
@Ger Martin: Someone has serious anger issues. Get a great laugh out of your posts though so thanks for the giggles!
@Ger Martin: your comments are mighty, best laugh ive had on here in ages. We will beat the dubs for ya in SHC first round next year.
@Ciara Baines: fu€k you toots
Suck my dick
@Ger Martin: Doubt you even have one pet! At least not till you pass puberty.