New Zealand head coach Ian Foster insisted Wednesday he had known for a month that predecessor Steve Hansen had agreed to help rivals Australia prepare for the Rugby World Cup.
Hansen is assisting Australia boss Eddie Jones, a long-time friend, as an unpaid adviser this week while the Wallabies prepare to face World Cup hosts France in a warm-up match in Paris on Saturday.
New Zealand hooker Dane Coles said he was “gobsmacked” by 2015 World Cup-winning coach Hansen’s move.
But Foster, like Coles speaking in London, where the All Blacks are preparing for their warm-up match against reigning world champions South Africa at Twickenham on Friday, was in jovial mood when asked for his views on the subject.
“Outstanding,” said Foster. “He (Hansen) has agreed to give me three pages of notes about everything that’s going on in their camp … I chuckle at the headlines.”
‘Like a…