KEY POINTS:
The All Blacks coaching panel are believed to have pointed the finger of blame for the team's World Cup failure squarely at quarterfinal referee Wayne Barnes.
The Herald understands head coach Graham Henry and his assistants Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith produced video evidence documenting Barnes' errors when they campaigned to keep their jobs at yesterday's coaching review in Wellington.
The inexperienced English official failed to award a single penalty against the French in the second half of their shock 20-18 victory.
The video evidence produced by the panel highlighted 17 second half errors by Barnes and his touch judges, which all related to French indiscretions that were missed by the officials.
A Herald source said that was to be the central plank of the coaching trio's argument that they were not to blame for the defeat.
Barnes also controversially sin binned second five-eighths Luke McAlister in the first half, leading to the first French try, and then failed to rule on a clear forward pass for their second.
There have been reports that Barnes overruled his touch judges on the forward pass call.
An area where the coaches could struggle to avoid culpability - the team's failure to attempt a close-range drop goal in the closing stages - was to be explained away by saying the All Blacks were instead playing for a penalty.
The coaches are believed to have told the panel they felt a penalty and a chance to win the match with a shot at goal would surely come.
The Herald understands Henry, Hansen and Smith decided several weeks ago to present a united front in a bid to hold on to their posts.
They presented their case to the NZRU's rugby committee at a day-long review yesterday.
The committee of Mike Eagle, Ivan Haines, Jock Hobbs, Graham Mourie and Paul Quinn are to present their findings to the full NZRU board today.
The outcome of that meeting will likely decide the coaches' fate.
If satisfied the coaches were largely blameless for the country's earliest ever World Cup exit, the board could choose to extend their contracts.
Another option would be to open the positions to other applicants.
Henry, Hansen and Smith would be free to reapply for their jobs but would have to see off challenges from the likes of highly-rated Crusaders coach Robbie Deans.
The NZRU could then choose to reappoint all, some or none of the current panel.
An NZRU spokesman said there were no plans to release the details of yesterday's meeting. A statement on the coaches' future would likely not be made until tomorrow.
