After a resounding 35-7 win over the All Blacks at Twickenham, one South African rugby pundit has put the boot into New Zealand ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
The dominant win over the 14-man All Blacks was enough evidence to write off Ian Foster’s chances wrote provocative rugby voice Mark Keohane, who predicted “the Boks will send the All Blacks home in the quarter-finals.”
His issue with the All Blacks stemmed from the captain & coach selection, with Sam Cane and Ian Foster not ‘inspirational’ enough to win the prized trophy.
“For all the aura of the black jersey, for all the greatness in results in the mighty Richie McCaw and Dan Carter era, currently these All Blacks are led by the most ordinary captain and coach in Sam Cane and Ian Foster,” he wrote for Keo.co.za.
“The duo are limited. The two lack inspiration and they lack the type of presence of World Cup winners.”
With Ian Foster claiming that the All Blacks ‘got what they wanted’ after the 35-7 defeat, Keohane expressed his dismay at the positive attitude of the coach in the face of such a result.
“They led a team to the slaughter against the Springboks at Twickenham on Friday night. They lost by 28 points – their worst in the history of the All Blacks,” he said.
“Such is the acceptance of New Zealanders, they actually found positives in their worst loss in history.
“How is that the mindset of champions? It is one of knowing your team is going nowhere.”
Despite winning the Bledisloe Cup, the Freedom Cup and the Rugby Championship throughout July, the loss of the inaugural Qatar Airways Cup in a warm-up fixture was a telling blow.
He predicted the All Blacks will go on to lose to France in the opener which would see them draw against Pool B winners South Africa, who would send them home with another defeat.
The current number one ranked side, Ireland, would fall to hosts France in the other quarter-final.
“Ireland, after the Boks have dealt with them in the Group stages, will be dealt with by France,” he said.
The host nations and defending champions would meet in the final in Paris where “the Boks to complete the most amazing World Cup double” and defeat France by 20 points at home.
