Return Henry, all is forgiven

Graham Henry may be out of a job in Wales, but the New Zealand Rugby Union has pledged that he will not be frozen out of the domestic coaching scene.

Henry, 54, yesterday resigned partway through a five-year contract that was expected to see him take Wales through to the 2003 World Cup.

The coach who led Auckland to four consecutive NPC titles in the mid-1990s and the Blues to the first two Super 12 crowns is expected back in New Zealand by the end of the month after he severed his ties with the Welsh Rugby Union.

Henry irked the NZRFU when he left hastily for Cardiff in 1998, announcing his move at a press conference at Auckland airport.

He had expressed a desire to coach the All Blacks but, after being overlooked, took up a lucrative contract with the WRU, worth a reputed $4.2 million.

His acrimonious departure prompted the NZRFU to introduce the "Henry clause" stating that no New Zealander who coached an international side would be considered for the All Blacks job.

That stance was eventually softened so coaches could return and be considered providing they proved themselves at domestic level.

All Blacks coach John Mitchell took advantage of this dispensation when he took over from Wayne Smith last year.

NZRFU chief executive David Rutherford said there was "no animosity" over the manner of Henry's departure and he would be welcomed back to the fold in the same manner Mitchell and Otago's Laurie Mains were.

"There are no issues relating to that," Rutherford said.

"We reviewed the policy [Henry clause] two years ago and removed it. There is no impediment - John Mitchell proves that."

But Henry, a former New Zealand A coach, could not expect to return to the national ranks automatically.

The amended policy states a returning coach must make a "significant contribution" to New Zealand rugby over a year before he would be considered for a Super 12 or national post.

He would also have to be familiar with the players and in tune with coaching developments here.

Rutherford said Henry would need to spend at least "a year refamiliarising himself with the New Zealand rugby environment".

Henry would be able to make an immediate return to coaching at NPC level because provinces chose who they wished.

The NZRFU was also interested to see what impact yesterday's events had on the future of Henry's assistant, former Canterbury coach Steve Hansen.

His future is unclear, although he may take over for Wales' next Six Nations assignment against France in Cardiff on February 16.

Rutherford said the NZRFU would not initiate contact with Hansen but "if he was released as part of this we'd certainly be in touch".

The WRU statement announcing Henry's departure said: "Both sides have thought deeply about this decision and believe it has been taken with the best interests of Welsh rugby in mind."

Henry had been under mounting pressure since Monday's record 54-10 loss to Ireland.

His contract, due to expire after the 2003 World Cup, began to look untenable after several former Wales internationals criticised him in the media the following day.

"You have got to blame the players for a start, but when you've got huge investment in top-end coaches and players, coaches earning £250,000 ($849,000) a year have to hold their hands up," Wales' greatest halfback, Gareth Edwards, told BBC Radio.

Dai Watkins, a British Lions first five-eighth in 1966, and who played both rugby and league for Wales, added: "We didn't seem to have any sort of game plan and the coaches have to take responsibility for that."

- NZPA