Three vie for job of All Black manager

By WYNNE GRAY

Former All Black team-mates Andy Dalton and Andy Haden are competing to be the next manager of the national side.

The tight forwards, who represented the All Blacks with distinction in the 70s and 80s and also battled the New Zealand Rugby Union because of their involvement with the Cavaliers in 1986, will be called soon to final interviews.

Neither was available for comment yesterday, but the Herald believes that Dalton, Haden and a third candidate, Crusaders' manager Darren Shand, fill out the shortlist.

Shand confirmed yesterday that he had applied.

The union received about 50 applications for the position when all the jobs within the group were readvertised after the World Cup.

Coach John Mitchell and his assistant Robbie Deans were the first casualties when they were replaced by former Auckland, Blues, Wales and Lions coach Graham Henry.

While nothing has been confirmed officially, Henry wants to use Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith as his assistants.

The head of the medical team, Dr John Mayhew, then announced his departure about the time interviews started for the team manager.

The same panel of union chief executive Chris Moller, Mike Eagle and John Graham which recommended a change of coach has been sifting through the candidates for All Black manager.

They whittled their choices down to a smaller group, which included the shortlisted final trio andthe most recent All Black manager, Tony Thorpe, businessman David Steele and North Harbour mana-ger Kevin Gimblett.

Dalton captained the All Blacks 17 times in his 35 tests, Haden played 41 internationals, and Shand is a former representative hockey player who managed the New Zealand A side to Europe in 2000.

In the 80s Haden and Dalton were involved in battles with the union.

Haden was investigated for alleged breaches of the amateur laws involving the writing of a book and some television commercials. He was cleared and later the Sporting Contacts company he started was chosen as marketing adviser to the union.

Dalton admitted that he was one of the main organisers of the unofficial Cavaliers' tour of South Africa and was later, with his team-mates, briefly banned from the All Blacks.

He was reinstated as captain at the inaugural World Cup and became president of the NZRFU during 2000.

The union is likely to be asked to ratify the successful manager at its board meeting on Thursday next week.

"We hope to have the matter fixed before the end of February," Moller said. "But as always there will be a caveat that we will not compromise on quality. We do not know what notice or other arrangements like that a candidate may have to give."