KEY POINTS:
Wayne Bennett is expected to be confirmed as Kiwis coach this week after Gary Kemble resigned last night.
Although Kemble said in an NZRL statement that he fell on his sword for the best interests of New Zealand league, it's understood he came under immense pressure from the board to step aside. This was ramped up when senior players Roy Asotasi and David Kidwell said the embattled coach was out of his depth.
Kemble had been desperate to hang on to his job to try to repair a reputation which had taken a battering since the record 58-0 loss to Australia in Wellington but he was fighting a losing battle.
He was doomed days, if not weeks ago, one source said.
After returning from an emergency dash to Sydney to win over senior players, Kemble met the NZRL board yesterday and agreed to resign rather than be sacked.
It brought an end to another sorry chapter in the history of New Zealand rugby league. In the past week, it has emerged that:
* Senior players were assured during the tour that Kemble would be replaced at the tour's end;
* There were concerns about pressuring Kemble to resign because of a previous grievance case he had successfully taken against the NZRL;
* Bennett had been approached to succeed Kemble during the Kiwis tour of the UK and France;
* Tame Tupou was sent home from the tour for damaging the team's Paris hotel after a drunken night out;
* Graham Lowe's role with the NZRL could be modified to focus more specifically on the World Cup.
* The damage to the NZRL's image will affect their ability to attract and keep sponsors.
Although the NZRL board gave Kemble their backing in December, when he was confirmed as head coach until the end of the World Cup, they realised last week his position was untenable after Kiwis captain Asotasi and Kidwell came out strongly against him.
Kemble flew to Sydney on Wednesday to try to garner support from players but it's unclear if he was successful.
The beleaguered coach wanted to retain his position, despite suffering record defeats to Australia and Great Britain during a five-test tenure which yielded just one win.
Kemble is likely to have his contract paid out, which will amount to about $80,000-$100,000.
Bennett will almost certainly take over as Kiwis coach, especially now the controversial Freeman Rule, which stipulated the coach must reside in New Zealand, was revised on Friday.
A source close to the Kiwis camp said Bennett had been sounded out to succeed Kemble while the Kiwis were still in the UK and there has been constant communication since.
Senior Kiwi players approached management a number of times on tour with their concerns over Kemble and had been assured a change would be made at the tour's end.
It was not seen as practical to do this until after the tour but Bennett was then to come in for the May 9 test against Australia in Sydney.
All this changed, however, with Andrew Chalmers' resignation as NZRL chairman in November amid claims of unsustainable spending. Kemble would not have survived under his watch but the board under Ray Haffenden decided to stick with the embattled coach.
Bennett, who had a taste of a Kiwis camp when coaching the All Golds in October, is known to be keen on the Kiwis job.
He reiterated this on Friday when he told an Australian paper: "I'm keen to get involved but it's important I have a face-to-face meeting with someone from the New Zealand League so I can find out what they're after and how I might be able to contribute," he said.
Once Kemble received the board's backing last month, Bennett was in talks about being a mentor or technical adviser. But as opposition to Kemble increased, it became clear Bennett would pull the strings while Kemble would act as the frontman.
After six NRL titles with Brisbane, five State of Origin series wins with Queensland and three years as Australian coach, Bennett sees the Kiwis as his next challenge. He realises this could be his last World Cup, that he will never coach Australia or Queensland again and would relish locking horns with arch-rival Ricky Stuart, now in charge of the Kangaroos.
Bennett has also been a strong advocate of international rugby league and wants to see it flourish, particularly in World Cup year.
It's not clear whether Asotasi will remain as captain or if he even wants to retain the job after his outburst and he still has some way to becoming a good leader.
He was undoubtedly the Kiwis' best player on tour and led from the front but a source said he wanted to be "one of the boys" off the field.
When winger Tupou was sent home from the tour after causing damage to the team's Paris hotel after a drunken night out, the source said: "That highlighted Roy's lack of off-field leadership. His presence was not up to what was required."
The attack on Kemble by Asotasi and Kidwell last week was calculated.
They knew Bennett's position with the Kiwis was up for debate at Friday's board meeting and wanted to crystallise the situation by airing it in public. Asotasi and Kidwell became the frontmen for this not only because they are senior players but also because they are guaranteed starters.
Others in last year's touring squad are not assured of their places, given there are so many players to return from injury, and didn't want to jeopardise their World Cup chances by speaking out.
One who was vocal last week was Lowe, the NZRL director of football who was highly critical of Asotasi's condemnation of Kemble.
His position with the NZRL, though, will come under increased scrutiny and the structure of his role might change. He was a key figure in securing Bennett as All Golds coach and then approaching him about a role with the Kiwis. There has been some talk he will focus more on World Cup preparations and work closely with Bennett.
Haffenden last night said it was time to close this chapter and open another.
