KEY POINTS:
How would New Zealand and the All Blacks cope with a foreign coach? Maybe a foreign female boss?
Okay, okay, maybe the last bit is stretching it. But new frontiers and all that, the All Blacks could consider a female hand on the tiller, though you suspect that is some distance away as none has appeared yet in senior coaching roles with any major rugby powers. Management yes, not coaching.
You suspect the All Blacks would go about their business without a problem knowing that if an outsider was appointed to the job then he or she would be the most capable person for the all-consuming job.
But would the core rugby crowd be as receptive as the Wallabies have been to Robbie Deans, or as Wales were to Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and are continuing to be to Warren Gatland?
You suspect not in the way that murmurs fluttered occasionally about whether David Nucifora could progress any further beyond the Blues in the New Zealand coaching system.
The England soccer team and public are embracing outsider Fabio Capello as their national coach, their rugby side had John Mitchell in the coaching van for a while, rumbustious Australian Eddie Jones helped the Springboks to a World Cup triumph, the Pakistan cricket side were coached until very recently by former Australian paceman Geoff Lawson.
Plenty of New Zealanders like Alex Wyllie, John Kirwan, Michael Jones, Mike Brewer, Sean Lineen and Kieran Crowley have coached other international sides, but no outsiders have made it near the black coaching strip. Former Aussie Rules ruckman Mick Byrne is in the current skills group as the kicking and technical expert, but you kind of feel no one would get any higher in the coaching chain. Not yet anyway.
There would always be those coaching overseas, like a Gatland or a Deans, you sense, or other domestic challengers who would be top of the pops in the next coaching election.
Try to imagine Sir Clive Woodward, Jake White in their pomp in the modern era or Carwyn James or Bob Dwyer in days gone by, sending their CVs and job applications to HQ in Wellington. Somehow it doesn't quite work, does it?
How would New Zealand react if Martin Johnson showed he had coaching nous to match his considerable playing and leadership ability, won the next World Cup or came close to it and then announced he wanted to coach the All Blacks.
He has connections to New Zealand after playing a season as a youth with King Country and has a Kiwi wife.
With Wayne Smith probably sniffing the overseas breeze again, there will be a vacancy for someone with backline expertise. Ian Foster may be fancied after his Junior All Black advances and that would be a strong mark for succession plans.
But if Eddie Jones emailed in an application, or Jake White, you would hope their inquiries would be given serious inspection. Somehow I don't think so.
