By Ian Ransom
(Reuters) – All Blacks coach Ian Foster could have two World Cups on his mind this year after his daughter Michaela made her international debut for New Zealand’s soccer team against Argentina.
Called up to the “Football Ferns” squad last week, Wellington Phoenix defender 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.
“He’s always trying to give me advice,” Michaela joked in a call with Reuters on Tuesday.
“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.”
Just as her father will hope the All Blacks can peak at the Rugby World Cup in France this year, Foster will hope her international breakthrough can lead to a place in New Zealand’s squad for the women’s soccer World Cup.
New Zealand are co-hosting the July 20-Aug 20 showpiece with Australia, and it will be a big deal for the round ball game in a rugby-mad country.
Her father 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.
He will hope to guide the team to a record fourth World Cup triumph in France, a year after New Zealand’s ‘Black Ferns’ won the women’s showpiece on home soil.
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’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,” Michaela said.
“But I think Dad tried to push me and my sister away from rugby a little bit.
“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.”
If his daughter is picked for the World Cup, Foster may struggle to catch much of the action while on All Blacks duty. The international season kicks off in early July.
Michaela’s soccer commitments may also disrupt plans to support her dad at the Sept. 8 – 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,” said Michaela.
“Either way, I’ve always been watching All Blacks games he’s been coaching, no matter where I am in the world.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
