A decision on Graham Henry's tenure as All Black coach will be made before the end of the year.
That was as much as New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew was prepared to divulge although he did reveal the issue was not discussed at yesterday's board meeting.
"Wewill announce our decisions on the All Blacks coaches once we are able to and once we have made those decisions so at this stage there is nothing more I can say," said Tew.
The union wanted to keep its options open and he was sure the All Blacks were also concentrating on their work and trying to rectify things which had not gone so well in Dunedin's start to the international season.
"When we are ready to talk we will," said Tew.
"There are a lot of options and there are two very good coaches [Ian Foster and Colin Cooper] sitting in Fiji currently [with the Junior All Blacks]."
While there was no discussion on the All Black coaching issue yesterday, Tew said he was sure a decision would be made before the end of the year.
"It is entirely the board's decision on when they want to make an appointment," he said.
Henry has been coach of the All Blacks since the start of 2004 but came in for some serious critique after the side bowed out of the last World Cup in the quarter-finals.
Henry asked to be judged on that campaign.
However he was reappointed along with his assistants after the NZRU voted against supporting Crusaders' coach Robbie Deans.
There were some murmurs that Henry would be reappointed shortly, through to the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
However Tew's utterances and an uncertain opening to the season may begin an alternate set of rumours.
