Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt has shed light on the turbulence surrounding Ian Foster’s final years in charge of the All Blacks.

In passages from Foster’s new book published in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, it points to awkward moments involving Scott Robertson before his appointment as New Zealand boss.

Schmidt and Robertson will face off in back-to-back Bledisloe Cup clashes in Auckland and Perth and their showdown has just been given some extra spice.

In Leading Under Pressure, Foster recalls the intense scrutiny of his tenure from 2020 to 2024, a period that included Schmidt’s arrival as attack coach in 2022 after Ireland’s historic Test series win in New Zealand.

Quoted in the book, Schmidt reflected on the atmosphere around Foster’s future and Robertson’s role in it.

“A big part of it was about integrity,” Schmidt said. “The pressure that was being exerted was contributed to by not just New Zealand Rugby, but people aiming up at ‘Fozzie’ [Foster].

“There was a podcast – with Jim Hamilton and Scott Robertson. That’s in the public domain. That was a pressure point and an advertisement that he [Robertson] wanted to win the World Cup with two different teams.

“And he [Robertson] applied pressure by starting an interview with ‘Bula’ when there was talk of the Fijian job being open. That was happening in the foreground, not the background. That was the tip of the iceberg, and it was bloody awkward for Foz.”

MORE: Wallabies rocked by major Bledisloe setback

Robertson’s “Bula” remark – which is a well-known Fijian greeting – came in February 2023 at a Crusaders press conference, when speculation about Foster’s future was at its height.

Grinning, Robertson told reporters: “I’m just waiting for NZR to make the announcements, really. You have conversations in the background, but as an employee, [it’s about] understanding how important it is that you go through clear processes. What I’m saying is, hopefully, we’ll know in the next few days.”

JAKE: All Blacks in uncharted territory

That comment prompted an unusual public statement from New Zealand Rugby insisting that “an announcement about the All Blacks head coach or process is not imminent”.

It was only a month later, on 21 March 2023, that NZR confirmed Robertson would succeed Foster after the World Cup, following what the union described as a “robust interview process.”

Foster, who opted out of the process, publicly criticised its timing, saying it risked becoming a distraction in a World Cup year.

Despite that uneasy backdrop, both Robertson and Schmidt have publicly spoken with respect for one another since stepping into their respective head coaching roles with the All Blacks and Wallabies.

Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images