after the World Cup? (Let's face it, there is slim chance of him being sacked) A very good question. It will depend on how the Wallabies do, so I hope he goes on to coach the All Blacks as they try unsuccessfully for the next decade to win back the Tri Nations, Bledisloe Cup and World Cup from the all conquering Wallabies. erm, maybe Saracens?
If RD has a very bad Tris (say just one win again, or close), he and the ARU may come under severe pressure. I would not rule out the possibility of him resigning at that point (assuming JO'N senses he has viable alternatives that could come in quickly pre RWC, and this parameter may determine what occurs).
A 'reasonable' Tris (btw, no one here can quite agree what that means any more), he's OK. A RWC win v ABs, hmmm, he might just come into ABs contention post-Henry, but somehow I doubt it if his prior 3.5 yr track record with Aus is deemed poor by the NZRU.
An OK RWC for Aus, but no win, he'd get offers from all over the S15 would be my guess, and maybe some top Euro teams too. His superb S14 record will still shine, but not quite so brightly as in 2007. I think Test teams would be cautious unless we win the RWC.
Btw, I have to add here that an absolute (positive) highlight for me re Boks win was twofold re RD. One, seeing RD just about banging the glass in the coaches box, arms flailing, real bloody passion mate!! The absence of that and his cool, always in control manner (plus his anodyne PC statements after the match) there in most past cases has always worried me, as though he was a paid observer more than a battle-scarred general feeling the hard fire in the trenches with the men. Two, this week he's really looked a worried and tension-driven man. I like that because I sense he's now _really_ joined emotionally to this team's fate in these Tris. This is 'do or die' for them both to show some proper, repeatable growth and terminate the excuses-factory. And RD knows it's performance time now, or he could be gone, or badly humbled professionally. He knows full well that he can't just keeping talking about 'development' forever, he's more proud than that line permits.
Please understand: I don't mean to be harsh in the above remarks. Quite the opposite, I think these signs are positives. At last RD, the whole team, may be uniting talent, the right fear, and intensity of purpose to get a 'hard mind' up for all of 80 minutes, not the more typical 55. And do it next week, and the week after. Sometimes mental transformation and the ultimate courage can come from a uniting fear and 'this is it, it's the last chance' factors, as much as it can come from desire.
