KEY POINTS:
Since the All Blacks' success in the first World Cup, the coaching post has been hotly contested.
1988-1990: John Hart and Alex Wyllie had served as assistants to Sir Brian Lochore during the successful 1987 World Cup campaign. Hart led the All Blacks on a post-Cup massacre of Japan, with Wyllie as his assistant, so many assumed the Aucklander would assume the mantle from Lochore. But an anti-Auckland sentiment at the NZRU saw the job handed instead to Wyllie.
1991: Wyllie fashioned an imperious record as All Blacks coach but after dispensing with undefeated captain Wayne Shelford the All Blacks lost their aura of invincibility, Hart made another play to displace the Cantabrian but succeeded only in being appointed co-coach. It was a disaster.
"They hated one another. It was shocking at times," team manager John Sturgeon later said. The result was a flat campaign and a semifinal exit at the hands of Australia.
1992-1995: Hart and Wyllie were discredited by the '91 failure, paving the way for Otago's Laurie Mains. After poor early results and widely reported paranoia, Mains was cruelly denied at the 1995 World Cup.
1996-1999: Hart finally makes the job his own at the fourth time of asking. Things go swimmingly for two years with 20 victories from 21 matches. But the wheels fall off dramatically in 1998 with five straight losses and in 1999 there is another semifinal exit.
2000-2001: Hart's assistant Wayne Smith takes over and fails in the Tri-Nations two years' running. Low on confidence, he asks the NZRU to advertise the job. Smith reapplies but John Mitchell gets the nod with Robbie Deans as his assistant.
2002-2003: The All Blacks win back-to-back Tri-Nations titles but the dynamic duo can't avoid the All Blacks' world cup semifinal hoodoo and both are jettisoned shortly after.
2004-2007: Wales' great redeemer becomes New Zealand's great redeemer. It all goes so well for so long for Graham Henry but then along comes rotation, reconditioning and Wayne Barnes. Cue a quarter-final exit.
2008: Henry has been sacked in customary fashion and Deans, who has chiselled out an unrivalled record in Super Rugby, makes the top job his own. Yeah, right. In reality, Henry hangs on to the job and Deans takes his undoubted talents to Australia.
