All Blacks coach Ian Foster says he took great pleasure in his team laying down a marker in their 27-7 Bledisloe Cup Test against Wallabies in Auckland on Sunday.
Following a sub-standard display which resulted in a 16-16 draw against Australia last week, the All Blacks came into their own this week and the improved performance inspired them to a comfortable 20-point triumph over the same opposition.
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Reflecting on his side’s bounce-back performance, Foster remained reserved, saying while he took pleasure out of the result, it was not a case of being relieved.
‘Are we happy we got a response? Yes, we are,’ Foster said. ‘Was it a perfect it performance though? No it wasn’t.
‘Relief isn’t something I feel at all, to be fair. This is what Test matches are all about and if we don’t perform to the levels that we want to, we know that a lot of pressure comes on this team.
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‘We said last week that it was a tough old gig, that the Wallabies played really well and whilst we were far from satisfied, it was still a performance that there were some things that went in there that were okay but we knew we had to lift our own standards.
‘I thought we set a marker down of where we need to be as a team in terms of the mental side of the game and the approach to the physicality and speed of it.’
Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
