KEY POINTS:
Getting on a plane these days, it's kind of hard not to think back to when there were smoking sections on board. It was the most ludicrous concept that airlines really did think they were offering smoking and non-smoking seats. That somehow, in a pressurised cabin, smoke created
by the bloke in seat 16A wouldn't drift into the face of the person in non-smoking seat 15A.
It was preposterous and as ridiculous as the New Zealand Rugby Union's ruling that an All Black assistant can also be a Super 14 head coach as long as he's not a test selector. The stupidity of this is about to be exposed, as the word out of Christchurch is that the Crusaders job is Steve Hansen's. Whether he takes it will depend on what arrangement can be reached with the NZRU on combining his All Black duties. That comes down to the discretion of the NZRU board.
A valid argument can be made that allowing Hansen dual responsibilities will sharpen his coaching instincts. As an All Black assistant, he spends six months in selection mode and six months working hands-on.
He wants more of the hands-on stuff - believing that, if he's honing his strategic thinking and player management with the Crusaders, it will benefit his All Black work when he slips into his assistant role next June.
Taking control of the Crusaders will also allow Hansen to build a stronger case to succeed Graham Henry as All Black head coach.
But there are bigger issues at play here that should make it impossible for the board to sanction Hansen doing both jobs.
The World Cup Review found the board had agreed to last year's reconditioning programme without enough evidence to be sure of its merits. There was no precedent so there was no evidence and the board, presumably having factored in Henry's success, made a massive call to go with it.
The programme had merit but was poorly managed, players were not successfully integrated and, like all risky strategies that come up short, there has to be a consequence. In this case, the consequence has to be saying no to Hansen, partly to satisfy a rugby public that what this coaching panel want, they don't always get.
There is also a need for the board to restore their own credibility. Unlike the reconditioning window, there is precedent when it comes to dual coaching roles.
Robbie Deans was Crusaders coach and All Black assistant from 2001 to 2003 and has admitted that was probably a mistake due to the excessive demands.
The demands for Hansen will be even greater, as Super 14 is facing a massive revamp that might see the competition expand to a 26-week format. Provincial rugby is also likely to start in August next year and finish in late November which will presumably push back the selection of Super 14 squads until early December.
Could Hansen really select a Crusaders squad if the All Blacks are in Europe next November just as the provincial competition is reaching the business end?
But the most compelling reason to say no is that everyone knows the legislation about not being a selector is as stupid as smoking sections on planes.
Are we to believe that Hansen will politely excuse himself when Smith and Henry start talking about players?
And isn't it just plain daft not to ask the man working with the forwards every day, the man who will presumably know the players better than anyone else, who he thinks should be in the team?
The New Zealand public have been treated like dummies for too long - they deserve better than to be asked to believe in this sham legislation.
