New Zealand coach Ian Foster wants his team to show some “edge” as the All Blacks seek to sew up a quarterfinal spot in their final Rugby World Cup pool match against Uruguay on Thursday at 9pm.
Having scored 25 tries and 167 points in their last two matches against Namibia and Italy, New Zealand are expected to beat Uruguay at a canter.
Foster acknowledges that his task is to ensure his team does not lose focus or take Uruguay lightly.
Your team for our final pool match 🖤 pic.twitter.com/TKfMuvAhSA
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 3, 2023
He says: “You can’t motivate a team falsely because it shows in performance. So, you’ve got to get real about it.
“We’ve got so much to achieve ourselves. That’s a fact. We are not in a quarterfinal yet, so we’ve got to make sure we do that.”
Uruguay have impressed in this tournament, competing admirably against a largely second-string France before losing 27-10.
Age is just a number for Dane Coles 😅#AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/tpmCEcQzRV
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 5, 2023
New Zealand need a bonus point victory to ensure their place in the quarterfinals.