KEY POINTS:
The likely elevation of Craig Dowd to head coach at North Harbour will split opinion in the union as to whether the right choice has been made.
The issue is not personal. The question is whether Dowd is ready; whether his vast experience as a player and limited experience managing the forwards at London Wasps has given him enough of a grounding to take over at Harbour.
There are two distinct views emerging on the issue, not just in Harbour but across the country, maybe even throughout the world rugby.
In one camp are those who want a big name as coach - a recently retired player with a high profile.
Clearly some administrators are easily seduced by the charms of former All Blacks.
Mourad Boudjellal at Toulon is the most prominent example.
The owner of French club Toulon has extraordinarily deep pockets and with all his vast resources, he chose to hire Tana Umaga as coach - a brilliant player whose coaching experience amounted to once telling a referee they were not playing tiddlywinks.
Boudjellal was pouring millions into the club, pursuing his dream of winning a Top 14 title. He could have hired virtually any established coach in the world and he chose to trust that Umaga could convert his playing ability into coaching ability.
On a different scale, Harbour, it could be said, are doing much the same thing. Which grates with those in the other camp, who argue there is no logical flow between playing and coaching.
The best coaches in many codes - Graham Henry, Alex Ferguson, Jake White, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho - were not great players. They didn't play at the top level, nowhere near it, and yet they have enjoyed enormous success as coaches.
Within the Harbour region, there are experienced coaches - men who have coached school teams, age-grade and club teams, even provincial teams.
Allan Pollock, who coached Harbour to the NPC semifinals in 2005 and won the Ranfurly Shield in 2006, has applied. So has Mark Anscombe, the former Harbour assistant who has been head coach at Northland for the past two seasons.
New Zealand under-20 co-coach Russell Jones is highly regarded within the New Zealand Rugby Union. It is believed many clubs would have supported Harbour executives had they made direct overtures to persuade Jones to throw his hat in the ring.
There are other candidates such as Blair Larsen and Mike Wallace who have extensive coaching experience within the region.
But, if the murmurings are to be believed, the preference within Harbour administrative circles is for Dowd to be given his first crack as head coach. There are suggestions Jeff Wilson might come on board as his assistant, giving Harbour a management team that boasts more than 100 test caps but very little in the way of coaching experience or achievement.
One school of thought says this is not right. That there is a tendency for administrators to be hypnotised by those who have worn the black jersey and believe wrongly there will be an automatic transition from good player to good coach.
Hiring a former All Black as coach boosts the profile of the union and will please supporters but the long-term appeal of any side is success. Who is more likely to deliver success - a former All Black with virtually no management experience or a seasoned coach who has worked his skills at a lower level?
It's not an easy question to answer. There is risk attached to any appointment and aspiring coaches have to start somewhere. Club rugby is so far removed from the professional game that it doesn't necessarily prepare coaches for provincial posts.
So maybe we have reached the point where the Air New Zealand Cup is the entry point for new coaches. Could this be the place to take a risk, to try someone who has knowledge and potential but little experience?
Veteran Auckland prop Nick White thinks it could be. He is looking to move into a coaching role and feels he needs to do it sooner rather than later.
"There is value in moving into coaching quickly after playing. I think it is important to have knowledge of how the game is being played and it changes so quickly that if you step out for a few years, you lose touch."
A five-man panel at Harbour - chief executive Brett Hollister, Ian Jones, John Mayhew, chairman John Morgan and Laurie Mains - will interview candidates tomorrow.
It will be up to that panel to assess the merits of the short-listed candidates and determine whether potential and playing achievement outweigh proven coaching experience.
"It will be about the best person getting the job," says Hollister. "Whoever the person is, they will have to impress the panel."
