KEY POINTS:
The Blues are confident they will have David Nucifora as coach in 2008, even if he is given the Wallaby job.
Now that the All Black coaching job is contestable and Robbie Deans is strongly fancied to win the post, Nucifora is the new favourite to be installed as Wallabies coach.
Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill said earlier this year that Deans was their preferred choice to take over from the retiring John Connolly.
Interviews for the Wallaby job took place last week and a short-list, most likely featuring Nucifora, Waratahs supremo Ewen McKenzie and possibly Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher, is expected to be grilled again by O'Neill, who missed the preliminary interviews because of minor surgery.
It was originally believed that the panel that interviewed the applicants would make a recommendation to the ARU board this week.
There has been a suggestion in the Australian media that a second round of interviews has been set up because the ARU wanted to see what happened in New Zealand. If Graham Henry had been reappointed Deans would have been available to coach the Wallabies.
With Deans now essentially out of the picture, Nucifora and McKenzie stack as the strongest candidates, with the former contracted to coach the Blues in 2008. Blues chief executive Andy Dalton says he is confident nothing will happen to change that.
"David has been interviewed for the Wallabies' job and this has been a very open process. He has made it clear to them that he is contracted to coach the Blues in 2008 and we have also made it clear what David's position is."
O'Neill said earlier this year that the ARU would be happy for Deans to stay with the Crusaders until the end of their campaign in 2008, but it is not known whether the same luxury will be extended to Nucifora if he is appointed.
A spokesman for the ARU would not comment yesterday. If Nucifora is successful but denied permission to fulfil his existing commitments, the Blues would probably promote assistant coach Greg Cooper.
Cooper has three years' experience as a head coach at this level, having been in charge of the Highlanders. Possibly Auckland coach Pat Lam and his assistant Shane Howarth would be called up to support Cooper.
If Warren Gatland had not taken the Wales' job he would have been a potential contender to replace Nucifora, with Cooper staying as assistant.
