The new coach of the under-achieving Chiefs should be known in a week.
Interviews have been completed and Gary Dawson, chief executive of the struggling franchise which takes in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Counties-Manukau provinces, said they were in the throes of finalising arrangements to replace Ian Foster, who
has been at the helm for six largely unsuccessful Super rugby seasons given the talent at his disposal, save for a semifinal appearance in 2004 and making the 2009 final.
Dawson yesterday wouldn't detail how many applicants they'd had but did confirm they had shortlisted and interviewed three - believed to be Dave Rennie, coach of ITM Cup strugglers Manawatu, Canterbury provincial coach Rob Penney and Kevin Schuler, who is the Chiefs' technical adviser.
Rennie is believed to be frontrunner to fill Foster's shoes.
Warren Gatland was the first choice but he turned them down to sign with Wales through to 2015, with the Welsh reportedly offering $630,000 - more than three times what Super rugby coaches in New Zealand pull in.
Once the new coach has been named the hunt will begin for his assistant, who will also be contracted to the New Zealand Rugby Union.
"The head coach, once appointed, will have input into that, and once the top two are in place we'll assess the need for any other coaches," Dawson said.
Meanwhile, prop Toby Smith and halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow have re-signed with the Chiefs until the end of 2013. Both Smith and Kerr-Barlow were members of the 2008 New Zealand under-20 team that won the inaugural Junior World Cup.
