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Jamie Joseph had a stellar Rugby World Cup with host Japan, but has been living in Dunedin since the tournament ended.
OPINION: Rejected coach Aaron Mauger is unwilling to start throwing grenades at the Highlanders after he was told his services were no longer needed.
Mauger is not that type of operator and he knows that his chosen industry can be cruel.
However, Mauger would be within his right to ask the question, “Why now?” when it looked like the Highlanders were heading in the right direction during Super Rugby Aotearoa.
The logical answer is that the Highlanders believe they can offer a substantial upgrade to their 2020 training setup with the addition of a big shot to the training game: a catch like Jamie Joseph.
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The Highlanders did not speak Thursday or Friday, and CEO Roger Clark did not respond to a request for comment.
Instead, Clark was quoted in a statement Thursday as saying: “Over the next short period we will be reviewing our coaching structure and who and how many we add to our current group will depend on availability and our desire to achieve balance in our group. Coaching “.
The keyword here is availability.
Mountaineers
Highlanders CEO Roger Clark is already planning a second Super Rugby Aotearoa competition in 2021 due to travel and border restrictions.
Joseph is hired for Japan, having said to New Zealand Rugby, “thank you but no thank you,” when he was invited to seek the All Blacks position.
It would take some considerable juggling for Joseph to fit back into the New Zealand system.
Would your Japanese rugby chiefs allow you to coach both the Highlanders and Japan? Would you like to take on that workload, which would be considerable even if the July testing window finally moves to October as part of a cleaner global calendar?
Such questions are looming as deal breakers.
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Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown have formed a formidable coaching partnership wherever they have worked.
However, Joseph has been living in Dunedin after returning from last year’s Rugby World Cup, so the Highlanders have had plenty of opportunities to maintain their relationship with their 2015 title-winning coach.
Watching the brilliant Super Rugby Aotearoa competition unfold may also have stirred Joseph’s competitive juices in terms of training in New Zealand.
It was a world leader in quality, and from a business perspective, the prospect of Joseph and Tony Brown taking on Scott Robertson in 2021 would send advance ticket sales soaring.
NZ Rugby also has an important role to play in the Highlanders’ hiring process, as it pays the salaries of the head coach and an assistant coach in each Super Rugby franchise.
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Aaron Mauger copied his outing on the chin, but will be disappointed to have to move on just as the Highlanders were improving.
He received some criticism for his search to coach the All Blacks, which drew attention to the amount of coaching intellectual property that New Zealand had ‘lost’ abroad (Joseph, Joe Schmidt, Dave Rennie, to name just a few).
So you could see the repatriation of coaching talent as a key ingredient in keeping New Zealand rugby strong, even if it means allowing coaches some contractual flexibility (see Warren Gatland).
So will the Highlanders knock on Joseph’s door, show him a video of the 2015 celebrations, and ask if he’d be interested in an emotional comeback?
They wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t.
