KEY POINTS:
It has been a momentous week for the Chiefs: Not only did they win a game of rugby, they also re-appointed their coach, Ian Foster, for another two years.
Before anyone leaps to the conclusion that I'm suggesting Foster has been reappointed on the back of a solitary
victory, think again.
I have no doubt the draw against the Cheetahs a fortnight earlier swung events in his favour. No doubt at all. And thank goodness for that.
For a few horrible moments - okay make that a month of horrible moments - there were genuine fears that the mighty Chiefs and their even mightier paymasters, the Rugby Union, could look at the win-loss column and let Foster slip through their grasp.
Foster's reappointment has been greeted with the sort of fanfare that surrounds the pinning of bits of paper on a community noticeboard. This lack of interest probably has something to do with the time of year. It's hot, and way too early to get bothered about rugby.
Indeed, Foster and the Hurricanes' Colin Cooper almost made history as the first coaches to be reappointed before daylight saving ended. After months of non-speculation, middle North Island can rest easy. It must be delighted.
Here are the bits that really concerned me, the simple facts that could have encouraged the Chiefs and NZRU to do something really stupid, like wait until the end of the season before deciding if the results warranted a contract extension for Foster.
Some fool even opined that they could at least have waited until they won two in a row. Clown.
The Chiefs went into this season with all and sundry predicting that this would be their year, even though everyone knows that, come finals time, it is never the Chiefs' year.
There was good cause for optimism, however. For one, the Chiefs don't have many proper All Blacks so they haven't suffered as the Crusaders and Hurricanes have during Graham Henry's reconditioning window.
The Chiefs looked in good shape for other reasons: The only people most Australian teams are scaring are their fans; and of course it is mandatory in every season that at least two of the South African teams are duds.
Sadly, all this hope has proved to be a millstone around the Chiefs' neck. They responded by getting injured and losing their first four. Otherwise, they would be leading the comp by a country mile.
What, then, of the 3 1/2 seasons for which Foster has been in charge of the Chiefs? It all started so well when the Chiefs made the 2004 semifinals before trundling over to Canberra, where they were well and truly beaten.
Since then, the pattern has been one of a gentle slide. They finished sixth the next year, seventh in 2006, and lie 12th right now. Fozzy's winning ratio is a very small touch over 50 per cent. Those who feel that, given these rather ordinary statistics, the Chiefs - or is that the NZRU - have rushed his re-appointment should think again.
It's all explained quite clearly in a couple of emails the media have received from the Chiefs and the NZRFU, the latter being the body which pays his wages.
Chiefs' boss Gary Dawson reckoned "his ability to develop and create a strong team culture are essential qualities required by the Chiefs going forward" and pointed out that he "guided the Chiefs to a semifinal spot in his first year and since then has led the Chiefs to finish in the top half of what is a very competitive international competition".
The mighty NZRU was mainly interested in Foster's successful combination with Cooper in guiding the Junior All Blacks but trumpeted that he had made a significant contribution to the Chiefs.
Deputy chief executive Steve Tew revealed that "Colin and Ian are two of our most talented coaches and are highly regarded in this country and internationally".
So, there you go troops. It's all about finishing in the top half and running a good team barbecue. It's heartening to know that the Chiefs have a terrific culture.
It can't be easy, getting on with each other when you lose all the time, but the Chiefs have managed it and for that we must be grateful.
What people need to remember is that the Chiefs would crush allcomers if the Super 14 wasn't such a competitive competition. As for the bit about the international acclaim, details may emerge later. But foreign suitors could end up bitterly disappointed.
If the Chiefs can cling to seventh for the next 2 1/2 seasons, Fozzy is a dead-set cert for a lifetime deal.
