All Blacks coach Ian Foster has kept his job, after guiding the national side to victory over world champions South Africa at their Johannesburg fortress on Sunday (NZ time).
Asked on Sunday if he would still be in charge of the All Blacks for their next assignment - against Argentina in Christchurch in two weeks' time, Foster said he had "no idea".
But the NZ Rugby board has resisted the urge to swing the axe and backed Foster with "absolute confidence" to continue as the All Blacks' head coach through the 2023 World Cup in France.
"[I'm] delighted to get the strong support from both Robbo [NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson] and the board for us going forward," Foster said.
"It's clearly been a difficult time - the start of the campaign, we didn't get what we wanted against Ireland and that created a lot of performance stress.
"That's part of my job and I expect to be grilled in that space. Through the last month, we've had a number of conversations about how we can grow the organisation and make sure we get the performance we want on the park."
Foster will also be joined by former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, who will take an expanded role within the All Blacks coaching ranks, after previously serving as a selector.
Schmidt will become attack coach, replacing Brad Mooar, who was removed from the role, after the 2-1 series defeat to Ireland earlier this year.
"We have made some changes and we'll continue to keep evaluating our group to make sure we've got what we need going through to the World Cup," Foster continued. "We're really delighted with where we've got to from today onwards.
"Joe Schmidt has been on my radar for a couple of years. We flagged at the start of this year that his role was to join us after the Irish series as an independent selector to replace Grant Fox, but in addition, he was going to do some opposition analysis and work alongside myself in the strategy area."
New Zealand scored two late tries to defeat the Springboks 35-23, reversing the result from seven days earlier in their Rugby Championship opener at Mbombela.
Previously, Foster seemed destined for an early exit, riding a three-game losing streak into the encounter and seeking just his second win in seven outings dating back to last year's northern hemisphere tour.
The All Blacks performance at Ellis Park restored some of Foster's credibility, which was further boosted by support from senior players within the team.
NZ Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson was unable to endorse or condemn his head coach afterwards, but a Wednesday board meeting has delivered the good news to Foster, who returned to New Zealand fully expecting to lead his team against Argentina on August 27.
"There are a few things we could have done better in recent weeks," said Robinson on Wednesday. "But I don't think anyone can doubt the power of this organisation and team when we witness a result like we did in Johannesburg.
"We talk a lot about inspiring and unifying in our place, and to be in that stadium of 62,000 people - a cauldron with everything against that team - and to see them fight the way they did was something we're magnificently proud of.
"That, in conjunction with some of the steps this team has made in most recent weeks, gives us a huge amount of confidence going forward."
