Bay of Plenty coach Kevin Schuler is considering an offer from Japanese rugby club Yamaha to become their head coach.
He had been given until next week to make a decision, Bay of Plenty Rugby Union chief executive Jeremy Curragh said yesterday.
Schuler has been Yamaha's adviser forthe last two years and spends two months a year with the club.
He was approached for the position late last year, though details of the offer were only confirmed this week.
Schuler said it was not an easy decision to make as he has loved his involvement with the Steamers over the past six seasons.
"The union had a tough year last year with financial issues, yet we still managed to finish fourth in the Air NZ Cup qualifying round," he said.
"Those issues are now behind us so until this offer came along I was really looking forward to 2009 with Bay of Plenty."
He has also been in discussion with the Bay of Plenty union since his contract ended on December 1.
Curragh said it was important to resolve the matter quickly.
"If he decides to go to Yamaha a recruitment process will start immediately.
"It would be disappointing to lose Schuler as he did a great job last year and the squad were ready to build on that.
"We are well advanced with planning and training for the 2009 season so the loss of a coach at this late stage is not ideal.
"However we have a strong support team with the assistant coach, manager and trainer being very active in the pre-season programme and things will continue in the short term with minimal disruption.
"We don't want to lose Kevin and have encouraged him to seek advice from relevant contacts and take some time to consider his options to ensure he makes the right decision for both his career and family."
