All Blacks coach Ian Foster could have two World Cups on his mind this year after his daughter Michaela Foster made her international debut for New Zealand’s soccer team against Argentina.
Called up to the “Football Ferns” squad last week, Wellington Phoenix defender Michaela Foster was introduced on the hour-mark of the 2-0 defeat at Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium on Monday.
A long-serving flyhalf and coach for Waikato in provincial and Super Rugby, the proud father returned to his old stomping ground to watch his 24-year-old daughter’s debut after offering her a few words of encouragement.
Photo: AP
“He’s always trying to give me advice,” Michaela Foster said jokingly yesterday. “No, he’s pretty good. He was just telling me to kind of enjoy the moment... I guess we were both unsure whether I would get on the field this tour or not, but he said just go in with an open mind, open eyes and just soak it all up.”
“He knows it’s a high pressure environment, but as long as you’re kind of open to everything and learning you’ll get the most out of it,” she said.
Just as her father is hoping the All Blacks can peak at the Rugby World Cup in France this year, Michaela Foster is hoping her international breakthrough can lead to a place in New Zealand’s squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
New Zealand are cohosting the July 20 to Aug. 20 showpiece with Australia, and it is a big deal for the game in a rugby-mad country.
Ian Foster has played no small part in the All Blacks’ rise into a global branding powerhouse as a former assistant coach to Steve Hansen’s World Cup winners in England in 2015, before taking the top job after the 2019 tournament in Japan.
Despite living and breathing rugby his whole life, Foster’s enthusiasm for the sport did not extend to his two daughters playing it.
He has instead been right behind Michaela Foster’s development as a soccer player, even if long rugby tours have often kept them apart.
“I did a little bit of rugby and enjoyed it, had a lot of fun with it, but I think dad tried to push me and my sister away from rugby a little bit,” she said. “He probably saw that I enjoyed football a little more, I think.”
“He’s been to as many [of my] games as he can — him and mum are always trying to get to them... It’s pretty cool to have them in the crowd,” she said.
If his daughter is picked for the World Cup, Ian Foster might struggle to catch much of the action while on All Blacks duty. The international season starts in early July.
Michaela Foster’s soccer commitments could also disrupt plans to support her dad at the Sept. 8 to Oct. 28 Rugby World Cup in France.
Both will be proud supporters, whether from the terraces or from a distance.
“I’m extremely proud of what he’s achieved in the rugby world and what he’s continuing to achieve,” Michaela Foster said. “Either way, I’ve always been watching All Blacks games he’s been coaching, no matter where I am in the world.”
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
The Edmonton Oilers on Thursday defeated the Dallas Stars 6-3 to book their place in the Stanley Cup Finals, setting up a repeat of last year’s NHL showpiece against reigning champions the Florida Panthers. The Oilers, bidding to become the first Canadian team to win the NHL’s championship series since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens, head to Florida for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series set for Wednesday. Florida, who are to play in the NHL showpiece for the third straight season, won last year’s title 4-3 to extend Canada’s decades-long Stanley Cup drought. Connor McDavid led Edmonton back to the championship series on