Ian Foster, the outgoing All Blacks coach, has disclosed a distressing incident involving his wife and daughter during the Rugby World Cup in Paris. According to Foster, his wife Leigh and daughter Michaela were confronted by a man wielding a knife near the All Blacks’ hotel in the French capital around the time of New Zealand’s opening game against hosts France in September.
Foster, who has since stepped down as the All Blacks’ coach, had not previously mentioned this incident, which occurred during the tournament ultimately won by the Springboks, with New Zealand losing to them 12-11 in the final.
Foster provided details of the incident, stating, “There was an incident involving my wife and one of my daughters in Paris during the opening week of the World Cup. Leigh and Michaela were walking to our team hotel from a nearby train station in the early evening when they were confronted by a young man with a knife. The man appeared to be under the influence of something.”
He went on to explain that his family managed to defuse the situation “calmly but firmly, and the man left.” The All Blacks’ security team and local authorities were subsequently informed of the incident.
Foster emphasized that, despite the ordeal, their time in France was positive overall and did not detract from their experience. His daughter had been in France to support her father after playing for the New Zealand women’s football team at the FIFA World Cup hosted in their home country.
Leave a Reply