Woodward reconsiders after Larsen departure

Bryce Woodward has not ruled out a return to coaching Northland next year but it will be without assistant coach Blair Larsen, who will not be back for another season.
When Woodward won the Blues assistant coach's job in August, he said it was improbable that he would be able to juggle both jobs but with his heir-apparent, Larsen, deciding not to take the top job, he had reconsidered his position.
He has offered to assist the Northland Rugby Union in any way he can to make the transition work - even if that means remaining at the helm.
"If the union can find someone with the right kind of experience who they're comfortable with, then I'll step aside and let them get on with it," he said.
"But if they don't and they take on some young coaches who need some guidance from someone who has been around a bit longer then I'm happy to fill that role." He wasn't too sure on what would be needed but said it would depend on whom the union selected - whether it was a mentoring role or perhaps even maintaining the head coach role with two assistant coaches.
"The position really requires the coach to be here fulltime and give the full support to the strength and conditioning programme and the Rugby Academy and to keep an eye on club rugby as well," he said.
Larsen had decided to return home to North Harbour after spending two years as the forwards coach.
Larsen said he was generally pleased with the performance of the forwards this season and would have been happier, if it wasn't for the Taniwha's Jeckyl and Hyde lineout.
"I think there were two games where our lineout didn't function at all, and a lot of that was mental thing but there were weeks where we were the best lineout in the competition, and then Hyde would show up again," Larsen said
"But in all aspects I think we were better this year - especially at the breakdown - where our speed of recycling has improved.
"The scrums and the lineouts have improved to the point we're a forward pack that isn't a pushover and that was pleasing against Canterbury and Waikato where - as opposed to playing the wide game that we played all year - we decided to go direct and beat the opposition up."
Larsen said the travel commitments he had made since he took up the assistant coaching position had taken a toll on his family.
"It was a tough decision with the vacancy coming up and the environment up here is a tough one to leave but I wasn't comfortable with the time I was spending away from my children and that was my priority," he said.