There it is in a nutshell. The process doesn't matter as long as the right person is employed.
The real question in all of this is surely: what process of HC recruitment: maximises your chance of (a) getting the right new HC and (b) ensuring you don't miss viable candidates that may take some considerable convincing to come and join as HC and, related of course, (c ) not risking the unthinkable of another RG-like outcome.
Despite the woefully defeatist talk emerging here that there may be no suitable HCs around for the 2016-onwards Reds, and/or that it's all a kind of lottery if we get the right HC, and/or maybe only a very few candidates would accept to live in QLD etc, I turn to one of my favoured Reds HC candidates: Dave Rennie.
Now, there is a great candidate if ever there was one. And why would we rule him out?
A coach of this proven calibre will not leave NZ rugby easily. Most HCs there aspire to an ABs position next, or to an international position as way-station to the ABs in years to come.
But with the right approach, the right patient process (vs a thoughtless, panicky rush to near-immediately announce a new HC for its own sake) and perhaps say a $300k
additional p.a. salary increment plus substantial $s success bonuses for S18 rank positions attained, all over and above the 'normal' base salary cost, who knows a Rennie might just be interested in a chance to rebuild a once-successful franchise whilst earning many more $s than he ever would in NZ. And the door back to NZ would not be at all closed, as it was not for Henry and Hansen when the moved overseas and thus coached against the ABs.
My point is that someone like Rennie would likely need a careful, slower and more iterative recruitment process to gain his interest, work through many issues, assure him of the QRU's integrity and his delegated freedoms as HC, Knuckles' residual role, etc., negotiate a highly attractive remuneration package, finalise a contract, etc.
That type of considered process (which would look for 3-4 Rennie-like candidates worldwide) is likely to be very, very different to the 'must hire now and announce now' closed and parochial HC recruitment process that I speculate is in effect operating inside Ballymore today.
Recruiting a Stiles or the freed-up-and-looking Matt O'Connor will entail a far different process and recruitment attitude than will one that aims to spend many months finding and hopefully enticing the best potential HC candidates anywhere in the world. Almost certainly, those latter type of candidates will take time to communicate with, time to so entice, and time to negotiate with (partly as their terms may be very demanding).
I also think - contrary to some posters here - that the Reds fans would strongly welcome the QRU announcing a patient, clear, well-reasoned process to scour the world for the best possible new Reds HC all aiming for a world-class choice, versus an instant gratification rush-job that no one understands and that merely lands a new HC of unproven credentials and/or is clearly high risk in terms of background.
