Christmas deadline for Hansen decision
Former Scotland coach Vern Cotter, currently coaching in France, had an interview for the All Blacks job after the 2011 World Cup but it was an open secret Hansen was going to be elevated to the top post.
NZ Rugby CEO Steve Tew was in Dublin but said it would have been inappropriate to meet Schmidt prior to the test.
‘‘We have people talking to a large number of coaches who are out of New Zealand, who we are in contact with constantly,’’ Tew told Stuff last week.
Hansen, 59, said he isn’t interested in coaching another country in the immediate future. Rather than chase a highprofile job elsewhere, he would prefer to stay in New Zealand if he wanted to keep coaching.
‘‘That’s the $64 million question isn’t it?,’’ he told Stuff in London, when asked if he would reapply for the job. ‘‘You have got to keep doing it as long as you are enjoying it, as long as you are adding value. As long your family can cope with it, I guess.
‘‘If I didn’t want to stay coaching the All Blacks, then I can’t see myself coaching another international team in the near future.
‘‘I would be better off staying where I am, so it doesn’t matter what team you coach the time commitments and pressures are pretty similar. I wouldn’t see any point doing that.’’
If Hansen retires but wants to stay in the country, NZ Rugby could look at creating a high performance role, or something similar, in a bid to keep tapping into his intellectual property.
Meanwhile, Hansen said several senior players would have to sharpen their games after the loss to Ireland and he would expect them to work diligently over the off season.
‘‘If you want a positive out of the negative, then people being uncomfortable is certainly better than being too comfortable.
‘‘You tend to find people work a little harder and definitely look in the mirror a lot better. All of us will be doing a bit of that over the summer.’’ Steve Hansen will declare his hand by December 25.
Speculation about who should coach the All Blacks after the 2019 World Cup has escalated since Ireland beat the world champions 16-9 in Dublin on Sunday morning, with the pro-Joe Schmidt brigade saying that if NZ Rugby don’t do everything they can to bring the Kiwi back home it could stand accused of negligence.
But this is a complicated situation. Schmidt has yet to advise the Ireland Rugby Football Union whether he wants to stick with them beyond the World Cup in Japan. He will make his decision before the end of the month.
There is no guarantee All Blacks coach Hansen, whose contract with NZ Rugby Steve Hansen ends after the global tournament, will retire after the event but he is clearly intent on making his mind up after the northern tour.
"I decided before I left [New Zealand] I was going to make one,’’ he reiterated on Sunday. ‘‘And I will do that when I get home at some stage, before Christmas.’’
If Hansen wants to stay, NZ Rugby have several options. They could note his successes with the national side, the All Blacks have won around 90 per cent of their games under Hansen since 2012, and offer him a contract renewal.
Or they could go through an interview process and place the top applicants on a short list.
There shouldn’t be a paucity of quality replacements available if Hansen retires. Schmidt is clearly among the frontrunners, if interested, but All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster, who has worked under Hansen since 2012 and plays a big role in coaching the side, could also have the support of those inside NZ Rugby’s inner sanctum.
Wales coach Warren Gatland is off contract after the World Cup, but has yet to declare a desire to coach the All Blacks.