When Steve Hansen says he's only a 50-50 chance of wanting to coach the All Blacks beyond 2017, he's not posturing for effect.
Hansen, equipped with a sharp tactical brain and poker face, is not angling for approval or inviting the nation to beg him to stay on until the next World Cup. He's not trying to pressure the New Zealand Rugby Union into opening talks early about an extension or pay him more money.
His uncertainty is genuine and based on several factors. The number one question he has and can't be sure about getting the answer right at this stage, is whether it would be best for the team to have him as coach beyond next year.
What has driven the All Blacks to new heights in the last four years is Hansen's simple prioritisation of one key tenet - the first, and sometimes only question players and coaches need to ask, is what's best for the team?
And that's where he's cautious. He signed up as assistant coach in 2004 and held that role through to 2011. Since 2012 he's been the head coach and by the time his current contract ends, he'll have been heavily involved for 13 years.