All Blacks: Potential conflict if Henry coached overseas - Tew

Former All Black coach Graham Henry and NZRU CEO Steve Tew. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand Rugby Union boss Steve Tew has admitted Graham Henry's preference to work part-time in New Zealand and overseas could have a "potential for conflict".

Henry will make the transition from full-time coach to part-time consultant for the NZRU, but told Radio Sport he would like to be associated with a club or union overseas on "a very part-time basis" if the demand is there.

Tew told Radio Sport that could be a tricky situation to deal with.

"That will be something we'll need to manage carefully. There is potential for conflict there. Intellectual property around coaches is a hard thing to get your head around.

"Graham arrived in 2004 with an awful lot of intellectual property, which he immediately made available to our organisation. He's now developed that, obviously some of that we would like to claim but you can't take that away from people. It's just what they are."

Henry, who has an 85 per cent winning rate over every team he has coached, said it would be a "privilege and a pleasure" if he could help coaches in New Zealand. But he denied there would be a conflict of interest if he also worked with a union overseas.

"I'm not talking about a full time position with x, y, z. I'm talking about a very part-time mentoring role of helping other people do the job.

"I think time will tell about those things, I need to think those things through."

Tew said they will work hard to find a middle ground and, where they think there is a competitive issue, "will discuss it openly and deal with it."

- HERALD ONLINE