Rugby: Marsh's return would boost ailing Chiefs

By CHRIS RATTUE

Former Counties Manukau rugby midfield back Tony Marsh seems set to return to New Zealand in a boost for the struggling Chiefs franchise.

Steelers coach Andrew Talaimanu had no comment on whether Marsh would return, but the player has been quoted in a French newspaper as saying he wants to pursue his dream of making the All Blacks.

Marsh said he believed he had a better chance of making the All Blacks now under Wayne Smith, who coached him at the Crusaders in 1998, when he made nine substitute appearances as a draft player in the first year they won the Super 12 title.

The return of 27-year-old Marsh, who joined French club Montferrand just at a time when he seemed ready to push for higher honours here, is the sort of news the Chiefs need as they try to sort out their future.

They have just been boosted by the Hamilton City Council's decision, after a referendum, to commit about $9 million to the redevelopment of the dilapidated Rugby Park.

There are many questions still to be answered, not the least being whether coach Ross Cooper will survive. The Chiefs' record under Cooper means the former All Black selector looks ripe for the axe.

The failure of a host of their fringe All Black candidates to make the national squad announced on Sunday will have lowered Cooper's stocks even further.

Waikato and Chiefs chief executive Gary Dawson fended off questions about Cooper's future and the review process yesterday, saying that the New Zealand Rugby Football Union was in control of those issues.

NZRFU chief executive David Rutherford gave the standard non-committal replies about a coach's future, except to say that the review process would take another two or three months.

Cooper still has a year left on his New Zealand contract, which also includes duties as a national academy and "resource" coach.

A series of questions from the Herald to sources and officials this week have revealed that:

Former Waikato coach John Boe, who is in temporary charge of Manu Samoa, is the most confident of the prospective Chiefs coaching candidates - especially as he went surprisingly close to an All Blacks position after John Hart's demise. Many believe that his national under-19 assistant, Mark Shaw, will join him. The other coaches who have declared their intentions of going for the job, if it is available, include national sevens coach Gordon Tietjens, from Bay of Plenty, and former Blues assistant and Steelers coach Mac McCallion.

A number of sources claimed that the Chiefs' coaching situation has become so sensitive that their board issued a memo telling officials to give a "no comment" if approached by the media.

Former Waikato captain and England assistant coach John Mitchell will probably bide his time before making a play for the job.

Mitchell told the Herald yesterday: "At some stage I want to resurface but I would want the right resources and people around me.

"I really couldn't say any more at this stage - I'm just concentrating on my job with Waikato."

Mitchell, a highly respected figure in Waikato circles, is employed by the Waikato union "upskilling" coaches at all levels.

A major problem facing the Chiefs is that some of their high-reputation players will be tempted to go overseas after missing the All Black squad.

However, a ray of sunshine for the Chiefs is that powerful midfield back Marsh wants to return home and is prepared to turn down a big contract to do so.

The next step for Marsh will be to negotiate a good deal with the NZRFU.