This is the question on Kiwi lips – who will be the next All Blacks coach? It’s not just a case of previous performance any more, but rather an answer to the conundrum of who can lead New Zealand to their first World Cup in 24 years?

The New Zealand Rugby Union have thrown the cat amongst the pigeons by making the job contestable after a review of the current coaching panel of Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith. Now it seems there will be no return of this trio except in the case of one of them making a break on his own.

Out of this coaching triumvirate, Steve Hansen seems to have the most chance of leading the ABs in 2008. Graham Henry looks to be on the outer with the job being thrown open and Smith has probably finished his run with a couple of years as head coach and several more as Henry's assistant.

'In an era where heavyweight boxing has reached a low point, this should be a contest both contenders need a ring and gloves for'


Hansen won praise for taking a good forward pack and making them into a formidable one. The All Blacks scrum dominance and loose forward play have been peerless in the last couple of years, especially with scrum doctor Mike Cron's input into the former. The lineout has been the only blight on his pack's record, but even this has been functioning much better under Hansen than in many of the previous years.

What counts against Hansen is his involvement in the train wreck which was the 2007 World Cup. New Zealand’s implosion in the quarter-final against France may have been more to do with the lack of experience and mental application in key positions, rather than the forwards' collective showing – but he is still seen as culpable in the eyes of much of the public and media.

The front runner in the coaching race is Crusaders mastermind Robbie Deans. The man from Canterbury has four Super 12/14 championships locked away – a record unparallelled in modern-day rugby. A former All Black himself, Deans is a coach who favours the mental toughness aspect of the game which was lacking throughout 2007 (it wasn’t just at the Cup, people).

All you have to do is look at the Crusaders' play. Their history is strewn with quality showings at the sharp end of the Super competitions. It was often the case that the red and blacks would have a weak start to the season, or first half of a game, only to absorb the pressure like a sponge and come back when it truly mattered.

Deans hasn’t been afraid to drop under-performing superstars, either. The most famous case was Andrew Mehrtens when the super-boot was well below par. Mehrts got the message and made a remarkable comeback to regain an All Blacks jumper – the motivation of his dropping probably being a distinct factor. Yet another tick in the canniness book for Robbie.

Deans has one major stopping block in his path – his lack of experience coaching in the Northern Hemisphere. It is now believed that the best Southern Hemisphere coaches have done time plying their trade on the other side of the equator – a sort of coaching O.E. The most notable Kiwis in this group are Henry, Smith, Warren Gatland (former Irish coach by the way of Waikato) and that man Hansen. This is potentially the major point which may elevate Hansen above Deans in the selection process.

Now the race is on between two men who possibly hold the key to New Zealand's rugby future. Hansen is yet to make his intentions known, but when he does, it will come down to a head-to-head bout with Deans. In an era where heavyweight boxing has reached a low point, this should be a contest both contenders need a ring and gloves for.