Former All Blacks head coach Ian Foster is being lined up for a return to New Zealand, filling a vacancy in Auckland, according to reports.
Currently coaching Toyota Verblitz alongside Sir Steve Hansen, Foster was reportedly contacted to apply for the vacant All Blacks head coaching role, following the sacking of Scott Robertson.
It would be a shock to see the 60-year-old return to the top position, particularly after how he was treated in the latter stages of his stint in charge, as New Zealand Rugby announced that Robertson would be taking over after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, while he was close to being dismissed in 2021.
Dave Rennie and Jamie Joseph have since emerged as favourites to succeed Robertson, while there are suggestions that Foster could return to the All Blacks set-up in his previous role as an assistant coach.
Blues’ tw0-man shortlist
However, the All Blacks may have competition for his services in the form of the Blues, who are in the market for a new coach following the confirmation that Vern Cotter would be heading to Australia next year, joining the Queensland Reds.
According to The New Zealand Herald, Forster and ex-All Blacks assistant Jason Holland are on the shortlist to replace Cotter in Auckland.
This was after Rennie rejected the Blues’ advances late last year, before he applied to contest the vacant All Blacks head coach role. The report adds that it’s the second time that Rennie has rejected the Blues in three years after he declined their advances in 2024, when they were looking to replace Leon MacDonald.
The former Wallabies head coach was not willing to discuss taking on the position in Auckland as he remains loyal to the Chiefs, whom he coached for six years before heading to Glasgow.
Jamie Joseph addresses All Blacks question after ‘totally unexpected’ Scott Robertson sacking
Blues chief executive Karl Budge did not want to discuss individuals when speaking to the publication, which insists that Holland and Foster are among the leading candidates.
“You always want to move quickly if we can. We’ve got some people we’re doing some homework on at the moment. We’ve got some people we’re starting to have some preliminary conversations with so we’ll want to keep moving on it,” Budge said.
“These things can be a distraction so we want to be clear with the playing group, clear with Vern, and make sure we’re doing our job off the field.”
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Foster is currently enduring a challenging spell in Japan with Verblitz boasting just one victory after seven rounds of action this season, losing six matches on the trot.
Meanwhile, Holland has rejoined the Hurricanes ahead of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season after parting ways with the All Blacks coaching team at the end of last year.