All Blacks coach Graham Henry has confirmed that there has been discussion over one of his assistants coaching a Super 15 rugby team next year.
The Super 14 will increase to a Super 15 in 2011 when the Melbourne Rebels are included in Super Rugby.
Reports surfaced yesterday which suggested that Henry's All Black assistant coach Steve Hansen was in the running to coach the Highlanders while Wayne Smith was linked to a role with the Blues.
The All Blacks are currently preparing to face the Springboks in Auckland but Henry said following an All Blacks training session in Auckland, "I think there's some foundation to the speculation", but added that no decisions had been made.
"I don't want to say it's not going to happen, I don't want to say it is going to happen, because I don't know."
Henry did however say he was not against the idea.
"It hasn't been decided and it's a franchise decision at the end of the day, plus the New Zealand Rugby Union," he said.
"If that's the best decision to do what we have to do, and it's the best utilisation of the three All Black coaches I've got no problem with it,"he told NZPA.
Henry added that the All Black coaches do need contact with with the top players during the Super 15 season next year ahead of the Rugby World Cup in September.
"There's eight months where we don't have any contact with players in a coaching sense with the team, and that's a hell of a long time leading into a World Cup," he said.
"We're getting them with four Test matches to play and then a Rugby World Cup, so we might have five or six weeks prior to the World Cup, and eight months prior to that with no contact.
"The big thing is that we've got to have the ability to talk to the players and just keep them up to date with plans, keep our relationship going for want of a better term, so we're sharing ideas, helping them develop their games as individuals, and hopefully that helps the franchises."
.jpg)
