KEY POINTS:
Quite how powerful coaches have become in the modern game has become evident in the yo-yo thinking of where Ali Williams wants to play his Super Rugby.
The All Black lock was, once upon a time, happily ensconced with the Blues. He was an Aucklander - loved the city, loved his franchise and loved his province.
Then David Nucifora arrived from the Brumbies in 2005 and Williams started to feel a little differently. He still loved the city, he still loved his province, he still loved the Blues but he was no longer sure he wanted to carry on playing for them.
Williams and Nucifora were never close. Things became strained between the two when Williams couldn't get any game time last year after returning from the All Black conditioning programme.
Frustration got the better of him when he was being left on the sidelines and he was, as everyone knows, infamously sent home from South Africa for falling foul of player protocol.
To nobody's great surprise, Williams decided to leave the franchise in August last year when he signed a provincial contract with Tasman that made him eligible for the Crusaders in 2008.
The move had both push and pull factors. He was no longer working with Nucifora, which he saw as a plus. But an even bigger motivation for shifting south was the opportunity to be coached by Robbie Deans.
Deans is a coach at the zenith of his powers. A coaching genius, with a track record of energising and redirecting formerly errant players.
Williams was not off the rails but he did need some firm guidance, a strong hand to steer him away from trouble and to ensure he fulfilled that phenomenal potential of his.
Deans did exactly that with Williams. The 27-year-old enjoyed one of his most consistent campaigns when he made a major contribution every time he played.
Williams also matured into a leader, became more comfortable with his senior status and started to enjoy the responsibility he was given by Deans.
If Deans was still with the Crusaders and Nucifora still with the Blues, Williams would have already signed a new deal to stay eligible for the Crusaders, probably through Canterbury rather than the soon to be defunct Tasman.
But Deans is now with the Wallabies, leaving Williams unsure about whether he wants to stay with the Crusaders.
It's not that he doesn't want to work with new coach Todd Blackadder, it's more he already has a deep respect for newly-appointed Blues coach Pat Lam.
Williams knows Lam well, having worked with him at Auckland. He likes the way Lam operates and likes the culture he promotes.
So a move back to Auckland and the Blues is tempting and Williams has met management in the past few weeks to get a feel for how things are going to be under Lam.
Against that, though, is the lure of the Crusaders. Should Williams stay loyal? After all, the Crusaders did plenty for him, not least provide him with another Super 14 title.
But can they still be the force they were without Deans? How much will they miss Dan Carter?
These are the questions Williams is pondering with a view to deciding his future in the next few weeks.
The power of the coach these days is significant and it is likely further proof of that will come when Williams decides that the opportunity to reunite with Lam is just too tempting to turn down.
