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Foster: All Blacks must express themselves

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Ian Foster (Getty)
Ian Foster (Getty)

Cape Town - All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster has urged the All Blacks to express themselves in the decisive third Test against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday.

The All Blacks have yet to showcase their trademark expansive style of rugby in the two Tests thus far with Lions coach Warren Gatland saying he has yet to see them play 'champagne rugby'.

They outmuscled the Lions in the first Test, playing a more narrow game off nine around the fringes of the ruck predominantly using their forwards to carry in a power-based game.

And in the second Test, they suffered the fate of going down to fourteen men with just twenty five minutes gone and had to employ a conservative game as a matter of self-preservation.

And Foster admits that the red-card to Sonny Bill Williams did have an effect on the their style of play.

"Probably our vision was a bit narrow," Foster said.

"That's a work-on for us because it's not something that's natural to us, but we allowed ourselves to get into that mode."

And Foster has praised the All Blacks' forward pack for securing handy front-foot ball but believes the reigning world champions can be more inventive on attack.

"We've done some really good stuff in the last two weeks, but it's pretty clear that there's more in us," Foster said.

"We've got to focus on that and make sure that in all circumstances - whether it's wet and cold or windy or whatever - we're still able to express ourselves when we want to.

"We've proven we can get parity [in the forwards] and front-foot ball and we've got to make sure we're smart in using that."

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