![New Zealand's head coach Ian Foster holds an umbrella on the pitch as he looks on ahead of the France 2023 Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris, on October 28, 2023. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) / TECHNICAL REPEAT: This photo by FRANCK FIFE has been modified in AFP systems with a PIXEL CORRECTION: [CROP]. Please immediately replace the erroneous versions from all your online services and servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.](https://www.sarugbymag.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/33ZE837-highres-1024x683.jpg)
Former All Blacks coach Ian Foster has revealed that his wife and daughter were threatened by a man wielding a knife in Paris during the World Cup.
His wife Leigh and daughter Michaela were accosted near the All Blacks’ hotel in the French capital around the time of New Zealand’s opening game against hosts France in September, he said.
Foster had not mentioned the incident during the tournament won by the Springboks, who beat New Zealand 12-11 in the final.
“There was an incident involving my wife and one of my daughters in Paris during the opening week of the Rugby World Cup,” said Foster, who was replaced as All Blacks boss by Scott Robertson following the tournament, in a statement on Tuesday.
“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.
ALSO: Five Boks in 2023 World XV
“The man appeared to be under the influence of something.”
Foster said his family were able to defuse the situation “calmly but firmly and the man left”. The All Blacks’ security team and the local authorities were later informed, he added.
“As a family we would like to reiterate that this did not in any way take away from our time in France which was positive overall,” Foster said.
His daughter was in France supporting her father after playing for the New Zealand women’s football team at the FIFA World Cup on home soil.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Franck Fife/AFP
