How the All Blacks Handle Public Expectation

Every sports team has an expectation to succeed, but few do like the All Blacks, CNN reports.

The burden of public opinion – as well as the high standards set by the players themselves – can weigh heavily on those representing New Zealand’s rugby team, the top-ranked side in the world for much of the past decade.

“I think we’ve learned some techniques about how to deal with the expectations,” coach Ian Foster told CNN Sport.

“Rather than sort of being crushed by it or seeing it as being oppressive, we’re trying to take an approach of getting excited about it,” Foster said.

His aim as head coach, he says, has been to create an environment that’s “fun”, but also where “every day you’ve got to turn out and you’ve got to try and be the best.”

Original article by Don Riddell and George Ramsay, CNN, November 16, 2021.