Rugby World Cup 2023 – “We know we’re going to face a monster,” says Ian Foster after New Zealand qualify

What is your first feeling after this great victory over Uruguay (73-0)?

I am happy with the result and that we achieved our goal of getting five points to qualify for the quarter-finals. Uruguay played very well during the first 20 minutes. The Uruguayans put in a lot of effort and managed to slow down the game and it was difficult to exploit our strength. We knew how to stay calm and the boys were able to find other solutions. It was different from last week. We had to work a lot on contact, and it was difficult to release the ball quickly. But I am proud of the patience shown by my players, who waited and finished the match strong. We are building on the momentum of previous matches.

Do you think your team has developed since entering the tournament?

I hope so, and I think we reacted well after the first match, learned from it, and overcame all the challenges. Our game has developed well and I think we are well prepared for the quarter-finals, which promises to be a great match.

Do you think your last three matches have prepared you well for the quarter-finals?

It’s something we can’t control. After the defeat to France, they said that we would have difficulty performing well in this competition, and then they said that it would be difficult against the Italian challenge. We weren’t perfect and we need to improve in some areas but we know what we have to do in the big games. We have set ourselves the challenge of playing well, and the team is motivated. We have confidence and we have to give everything. At the end of this group stage, we are satisfied.

Will you follow the latest group stage results to find out your competitor?

I won’t be nervous for the next three days. We will see what opponent we will face. We don’t have any preferences. For now, we’ll make a small glass of wine this evening, and start our recovery on Friday. Then we have a plan regardless of the opponent.

Can you imagine getting first place in your group?

no. I suppose we’ll finish second. But this match between France and Italy has become important. It will be interesting to see how both teams respond. Having finished first or second, we knew when we started this tournament that the four best teams in the world would meet in the quarter-finals. So we know we’re going to face a monster in the quarterfinals. We are not surprised.

That lack of adversity since your defeat to France seems to be a handicap. Are you well prepared to face the monster?

We really had to get out of the group stage and we did. Then, the second goal is to spend time working on our game, which is good at the moment, while maintaining ourselves physically. I think we found a good balance to prepare for the final stage. In fact, we may not have been able to work up the necessary mental resources at the end of a tense match. Then, when the outcome is important, people tend to underestimate the opponent. You might think we didn’t have enough difficulty in our matches, but we were able to apply enough pressure to achieve that. Uruguay gave it all for 80 minutes. This team was harder to beat than people thought. I think we are prepared for what is coming and we feel we did the right thing.