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“It Wasn’t to Be,” Says Ian Foster After All Blacks World Cup Final Defeat

All Blacks coach Ian Foster watched his team fall agonisingly short of a record fourth Rugby World Cup victory after their 12-11 defeat to South Africa.

Instead, it was their opponents who won their fourth title at the Stade de France in a match of tight margins.

With only seven minutes to play, Jordie Barrett lined up a shot at goal that would have given the All Blacks the lead.

The attempt hooked left and South Africa maintained their one-point lead.

Playmaker Richie Mo’unga missed another tough shot at goal during the second half and the Kiwis had some golden try-scoring opportunities.

“It would be wrong to say we had all the chances; they had some chances too,” reflected Foster. “There was a pressure cooker environment. You could see players from both teams making a few errors they wouldn’t normally do.”

“To get ourselves back, score that try, it’s disallowed and we get another try, was pretty cool and got us in the game. We gave ourselves every chance, but it wasn’t to be. We are all gutted.”

“We so desperately wanted to win this but I am equally proud. The attitude to play there against a mighty team. Even weeks ago the score was a very different score against them. We contributed massively to a very special final full of drama and two teams that put everything on the line.”

The Kiwis played 65 minutes of the encounter with 14 men after captain Sam Cane’s yellow card was upgraded to a red by the off-field review following a high shot on Boks centre Jesse Kriel.

“12-11, I want to congratulate South Africa for what they’ve achieved. They’ve shown a lot of character and tenacity throughout this tournament,” added Foster.

“That’s three close games they have come out the right side so they are doing something right.”

“For us it’s heartbreaking and I look at the effort of our team, the way we played and came back and gave ourselves a really good crack at that, the second half, particularly after the red card in the first half and the damage that decision made. Overall, incredibly proud of our team but we’ve got a disappointed shed.”

/Stewart
Sports news editor