Henry may step back as top coach

THE BOSS of New Zealand rugby has added to speculation the All Black coaches are about to switch jobs again, with New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew hinting that there "may be another change" to the coaching structure.

Last year, head coach Graham Henry took over responsibility for coaching the forwards from Steve Hansen and passed his defence duties to Wayne Smith, while Smith's attacking portfolio went to Hansen.

Speculation has been rife that Hansen wants his old job back as forwards coach and Tew added to the speculation when he said tantalisingly on Friday: "I guess if you wanted a hint on it I would suggest there may be another change of some shape.

"But we will wait and see where they get to on that."

The case file for change is certainly getting fatter by the day, even though solid evidence is thin.

The All Black coaches are off limits to the media for now. But the same Star-Times rugby sources who foreshadowed last year's coaching changes on the eve of their public announcement say the catalyst for change is again coming from Henry, who is dwelling on whether to take on a more strategic role in the lead-up to the 2011 world cup. It seems Hansen is not putting any pressure on his boss and is happy to work in the current set-up.

Henry's plan is to shift his focus towards planning, tactics and overarching strategy as the team prepares for the Rugby World Cup.

Henry is still considered one of the best, if not the best, hands-on coach in New Zealand, and it's no coincidence the All Blacks play better when he gets his hands dirty preparing for tests.

The three wise men met in Dunedin last weekend to discuss the matter on Friday and Saturday. No specific timeline has been attached to the changes.

But Tew confirmed Henry and his coaching cohorts would front the NZRU board on March 18 to discuss their plans for the year.

Tew added: "The coaches have asked for a little bit of time to think through where they want to go with the decision on roles.

"They all came back from holiday wanting to sit down together, and quite formally, to document the learnings, the advantages the disadvantages of what they used to do and the change. Largely everyone thought it was a positive and there are no secrets here, so as soon as we have drawn a conclusion and discussed it with the appropriate people, we will share that with you, but they have not yet formed a conclusion."

One possible solution could be to beef up the role of some of the team's specialists coaches.

That would take some of the heat off Smith and particularly Hansen, whose performance while in charge of the forwards had come under considerable fire from the public, as well as rugby luminaries such as Andy Haden and Ian Jones.

This did nothing to diminish Henry's faith in Hansen.

But the team is thought to be conscious of how best to communicate the changes to the public. They made a hash of it last time when they downplayed one of the biggest rugby stories of the year.

Last week, All Blacks manager Darren Shand told the Star-Times senior All Blacks such as skipper Richie McCaw would have a say.

Tew also confirmed Henry doesn't need "board approval" to make further changes.

"But certainly as a courtesy they will discuss it with the board before anyone else."

- © Fairfax NZ News