The New Zealand Rugby Union is determined to do whatever it takes to prevent Wayne Smith from joining the England management and plotting the downfall of the All Blacks at the 2015 World Cup.
Smith, a member of the All Blacks management panel that masterminded last year's World Cup success on home soil, has been offered the chance to be part of the host's coaching team for the second tournament running.
The former Northampton director of rugby met the England head coach, Stuart Lancaster, last week and was offered the job of coaching England's backs, a move that caused consternation in New Zealand.
"We will do everything to keep Wayne here," said Steve Tew, chief executive of the NZRU. "We consider him to be an incredible asset to New Zealand rugby, not just the All Blacks. He has worked incredibly hard on behalf of this organisation for an extended period of time so he has earned our respect to make whatever decision he wants to make and we are certainly not going to leave him without options but we are desperately keen to keep him in New Zealand.
"He is one of our intellectual properties. He has been with us for so long and been such an important contributor to developing things that work in our environment that we think he is a special case to protect. He has achieved an enormous amount as a coach and he loves coaching and he loves a challenge. We are dead keen to find a solution but there is no easy one."
The New Zealand centre Richard Kahui said that New Zealand's loss would be England's gain. Smith was the All Blacks' head coach for two seasons from 2000 and rejoined the management team after the 2003 World Cup, part of a triumvirate with Graham Henry, who was in overall charge, and Steve Hansen, who succeeded Henry at the end of last year when Smith returned to Super 15 rugby with the Chiefs.
"If Wayne goes to England, he will make them better," said Kahui, a three-quarter with the Chiefs, the Super 15 leaders. "There are no short-cuts with him and he leaves nothing to chance. That is why our defence has turned around this season. He is a great man who knows how to get the best out of people. If he were to go to England, it would not only be a great loss to the Chiefs and the game in New Zealand, it would be a worrying sign."
The NZRU is appealing to Smith's patriotism, although Tew admitted during the last World Cup that Smith, Hansen and Henry had all benefited from working in Britain, the latter two in charge of Wales. As hosts, England will be expected to be major contenders and a threat to New Zealand's attempt to become the first country to retain the trophy.
Smith, who is expected to make a decision in the coming days, has admitted that, aside from family considerations, the question most vexing him is whether he would be able to coach a team against the All Blacks. If he accepts Lancaster's overture, he would come up against the All Blacks at Twickenham next December.
Wasps will be saved from going into administration by one of their former players, if they avoid relegation when they face Newcastle next week: they are four points ahead of the Falcons with one game remaining. Ken Moss, who played for the club as a flanker in the 1980s, is heading a consortium that is prepared to buy out the current chairman, Steve Hayes, but only if Adams Park hosts Premiership matches next season.
