Photos: The candidatesKEY POINTS:
Graham Henry has finished his interview for the All Blacks coaching job at rugby headquarters in Wellington.
Henry emerged from the building just before 9pm saying he was happy with the interview, but wouldn't make further comment until the official announcement is made.
The NZRU has said
it intends to make a statement tomorrow.
Former All Black coach Laurie Mains feels the job should go to Robbie Deans. Mains told Newstalk ZB's Larry Williams that he stood down after four years out of respect for the All Blacks, and so should Graham Henry. He says coaches can adapt their methods, but because the All Blacks are so important to New Zealand rugby, the selectors and coaches should be refreshed every four years.
Laurie Mains is optimistic that Henry's main rival Robbie Deans will get the job. Mains says there's a groundswell of support around New Zealand for Deans that the board should take into account. He says the only reason he can think of for Henry being given the job is that it would be to justify the board's approval of the programme that Henry led into the World Cup.
Laurie Mains says he is concerned by recent comments by board members that World Cup results will be only one part of their thinking, which contradicts their sentiment for the two years before the World
- Newstalk ZB
Graham Henry cut a stern figure this evening when he turned up at NZRU headquarters to interview for the All Blacks coaching job he has held for the last four years.
Henry's hang-dog countenance was in stark contrast to that of his main challenger Robbie Deans and fellow contenders Colin Cooper and Ian Foster, who were all smiles before and after their interviews.
Foster offered to lend his jacket to members of the media suffering in the freezing Wellington wind but there was no such generosity form Henry, who batted away questions by saying he would not comment until after the interview process had been completed, before heading inside.
The all-new media-friendly Deans, who appears locked in a head to head battle for the post with incumbent Henry, has been criticised in the past for his somewhat terse public persona.
But, sporting a healthy tan from a recent trip to a coaching symposium in Australia, he was all smiles as he answered questions after his interview.
Deans said every stone had been turned over during an interview that included a 20-minute presentation and a lengthy Q&A session.
He said his presentation had been about his desire and technical ability to do the job.
"It's heart and head. I've got a passion for it and I believe I've got something to offer in terms of what I bring to it as well. It doesn't matter what I think though, does it? It's what they [the NZRU board] think that's the priority."
Deans said he wasn't bothered by the common perception that Graham Henry had the job in the bag well before the interview process began.
"I'm not concerned with that," he said.
"These guys [the board] have got a responsibility and they take that responsibility seriously. They'll make their decision. It will be in the best interests of New Zealand rugby and we'll all keep going.
"The talk doesn't really matter. You always get conjecture and let's hope we always do because the game needs interest. But the only thing that really matters is reality, not perception."
He said he had been given no indication as to what his chances were and that he was a different coach from the one who assisted John Mitchell during the All Blacks' unsuccessful 2003 World Cup campaign.
"You learn in coaching from every experience and I am a very different coach now, certainly from what I was 10 years ago. It's a bit scary looking back. And five years ago likewise."
He also neatly sidestepped question as to whether he would coach Australia if passed over for the All Blacks job.
"I don't know, to be honest. If I wasn't successful here, I've [already] got a great job, which I look forward to getting my teeth into. Outside of that I don't know."
His options, however, would "probably not" include an assistant's job with the All Blacks.
Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper, and Chiefs coach Ian Foster - rank outsiders to land the job - were interviewed earlier in the day.
Cooper said he had enjoyed his chance to present his ideas to the board in person.
"Having an opportunity to talk about what you could bring was great," Cooper said.
"I wanted to get in front of them and tell them what I could bring and show them what I'd done, just to say 'this is what I could bring to the team'.
"We tell our players to aspire to become All Blacks and it has always been a goal of mine to be part of the All Blacks."
Cooper, who was the first to be interviewed, dodged a question about whether he was in line to assist Deans if the Cantabrian got the job.
"You'll have to ask Robbie Deans. At the moment I am pretty rapt to be here going through this process."
Foster said he had been keen to show the board he was a legitimate option.
"When you get down to the final four for the All Black job you want to become the All Black coach. There have obviously been two leading candidates for this process so I wanted to make it clear that I was confident I could do the job.
"I had a chance to express myself, which is all you can ask for."