KEY POINTS:
The Chiefs had the strange sensation of feeling like kings then paupers all in the space of a few hours on Friday night.
They beat the Crusaders but their ridiculous-to-the-sublime season is still over thanks to the Brumbies' bonus-point win over the Highlanders last night.
It now remains
to be seen whether the franchise faces further losses, this time off the field.
Top of the list are two of the Waikato province's favourite sons, Warren Gatland and Marty Holah.
Both are non-committal at this stage though the chances of seeing either when the Chiefs regather at Christmas are little or none.
Coach Ian Foster, though he would love the services of Gatland for a third year in 2008, seemed almost resigned to the fact there would be tempting offers on his former teammate's plate.
"I'm very hopeful but obviously there are lots of opportunities for lots of people at the moment. It's hard to keep up with all the things that are happening."
It is unlikely, no matter the ties to the region, that another season as an assistant coach at Super 14 level will satisfy Gatland's ambition. He has already enjoyed success at international level with Ireland and has won titles with Wasps in England and added the NPC to his CV with Waikato's victory last year.
The Herald on Sunday understands Gatland turned down the Leicester job - Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda will take over there - but director of rugby at Northampton Saints might be a bigger carrot, despite relegation out of England's premier division.
There are two distinct possibilities closer to home.
First there's the Wallabies job, with the Australian Rugby Union indicating they would cast their net internationally for the best possible replacement for John Connolly.
However, there is speculation David Nucifora is in line for the job, leaving a vacancy at the Blues. The Blues job would also mean minimal disruption to Gatland's family.
"He's not going to be short of options from within the franchise," Foster said, "but we're aware there's lots of opportunities outside as well so we'll cross that bridge. The message from the Chiefs is that we're certainly keen to keep him."
Holah will have even more options than Gatland, particularly in Europe where they love his low-to-the-ground style of play.
The All Black flanker was recovering from the Chiefs celebrations-cum-commiserations yesterday and said he had not yet made any decisions over his future.
"I've been avoiding that decision-making process until the season is over," Holah said. "It's something I'm going to have to look at. "I'm off contract, I know that, but I just wanted to focus at the season at hand rather than look too far down the line."
