All Blacks coach Ian Foster on TMO controversy after defeat by South Africa - ‘The game has issues to sort out'

New Zealand rugby coach Ian Foster said "the game has a few issues to sort out" following his side’s Rugby World Cup final defeat by South Africa on Saturday.

It was heartache for the All Blacks, who despite fighting right to the very end, suffered an agonising 12-11 defeat by the Springboks, who claimed their second successive Rugby World Cup final victory.

It was a tough night in Paris for the Kiwis after they lost captain Sam Cane in the first half. Referee Wayne Barnes showed the openside flanker a yellow card, which was subsequently upgraded to a red by the bunker review system, after the No. 7 made contact with the head of South Africa centre Jesse Kriel with his shoulder.

The Boks also lost their captain Siya Kolisi in the second half, after he made head-on-head contact with Ardie Savea, but Kolisi's card was not upgraded to a red by the TMO.

“It is what it is,” a deflated Foster said, discussing the two incidents in his post-match press conference.

“There will be plenty of time to analyse. There was an attempt to wrap [by Sam Cane], and there didn’t seem to be a lot of force in the contact.

“But [Kolisi’s] hit on Ardie [Savea] had a lot of force going into the contact and had a direct contact on the head, so the game has a got few issues it has to sort out and that is not sour grapes.

“It is that you have got two different situations with different variables and one is a red card and one is a yellow card. And that is the game.

“It’s probably for the game to decide at some point. It’s not tonight.”

Foster, who is leaving his post as All Blacks coach, added: “We got the same behaviour from that TMO as we got in the Irish series last year, same TMO, so we expected what we got.”

New Zealand have endured a turbulent 12 months with some calling for Foster to resign amid recent drops in form.

In 2022, they suffered a tough series loss against Ireland, a 25-18 defeat by Argentina in the Rugby Championship and a record 35–7 loss to South Africa during their Rugby World Cup warm-up.

Cane became the first player to be sent off in the final of a men’s Rugby World Cup and agonisingly had to watch on from the touchline as his team suffered their loss.

“We’ve all seen the way Sam has contributed to our team,” Foster said, backing his captain.

“He’s been fantastic – worthy of being captain of the All Blacks which is a fantastic honour and privilege. I think he’s carried that magnificently well. I’m incredibly proud of him and proud to coach him.”

On his dismissal, Cane told reporters: “I am not here to discuss whether it was the right or wrong decision.

”It can’t be changed. Unfortunately it is something I am going to have to live with forever.

“We have been here for two months now and anything around the head has ramifications,” Cane added.

“At the time I wasn’t even aware, it caught me off guard that he stepped back.”

While there was heartache at full-time for the All Blacks, it was ecstasy for South Africa, who are only the second team in the history of the competition to defend their World Cup title, after New Zealand completed the feat in 2011 and 2015.

Having now won the 2019 and 2023 tournaments, an elated South Africa captain Siya Kolisi spoke of the importance of the victory to his country.

“There is so much going wrong in our country - we are the last line of defence,” Kolisi, who is South Africa’s first black captain, said to

.

“So many people are helpless and there is so much division, but we show there is hope.

“Look what the sport did in 1995,” he said, referring to his country’s first World Cup win and the iconic moment that followed the match, where Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok jersey, presented the William Webb Ellis Cup to Francois Pienaar.

”Without that, I wouldn’t be here. There were people before that who fought for people that look like me to be in the jersey.”

He added, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Sport: “People not from South Africa don’t understand what it means for our country.

“It is not just about the game. Our country goes through such a lot. We are just grateful that we can be here. I want to tell the people of South Africa ‘thank you so much’.

“This team just shows what you can do. As soon as we work together, all is possible, no matter in what sphere.

“In the field or in offices, it shows what we can do. I am grateful for this team. I am so proud of it.”

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