The Waratahs' success in making the Super 14 finals has saved their coach Chris Hickey. If the Waratahs had lost to the Hurricanes on Friday night and missed out on the finals for the second year running, Hickey was under threat of going down the same road as his predecessor, Ewen McKenzie, and being replaced.
Despite the recent assertions from NSW Rugby Union officials that - no matter what - Hickey would be their coach next year, the Herald has been told by several sources that some within the Waratahs organisation had before the final round began to look at alternative candidates taking over his job next season.
It is understood that this was brought up at a meeting involving several NSW officials a few weeks ago, which Hickey did not attend. Numerous personalities have become close allies in ensuring that if there is a changing of the guard, they would take over key positions, which may even include important administrative roles.
However, Hickey's success in extending the Waratahs' season for at least one more week means he has earned a reprieve.
At the moment Hickey again has the ''complete support'' of those in charge - which is not surprising considering that he succeeded in ensuring his team finished ahead of the three other Australian provinces after it produced its best effort of the season on Friday night to make the finals.
Yet in the background over the past few weeks, there has been some interesting manoeuvring.
Apart from assistant coach Michael Foley, understood to have the support of some NSW powerbrokers to one day take over the head coaching spot, the Herald also recently revealed that Bulls skipper and renowned Springboks second-rower Victor Matfield was approached by Waratahs officials to see if he was interested in being part of the coaching panel - most probably as an assistant.
Matfield's involvement at the Waratahs is still high on the agenda. Former Springboks coach Jake White was also mentioned as a possible Waratahs director of coaching, but that idea has cooled somewhat. Another local coach who would be feeling extremely jittery is Brumbies coach Andy Friend, who failed to get the team tagged ''the Real Madrid of Australian rugby'' into the finals. The Brumbies were a team beset with internal problems for most of the season, which included several serious personnel clashes, and how they have continually missed out on the finals, despite an abundance of talent, has become an appreciable concern.
However, the word out of Canberra is that Friend is expected to survive, but several of those around him will disappear. Nonetheless, finishing sixth marks their season as a major disappointment.
As embarrassing is that, since they won the title in 2004, the Brumbies have not been sighted in the finals. This bare fact stresses the point that it is time to get rid of some of the dead weeds down there, and revitalise the culture.
At the Reds, McKenzie is safe, and understandably so, considering that he transformed a troubled Queensland into the great entertainers of the tournament, which had the desired effect of doubling the team's home crowds in Brisbane.
At the Western Force, there is uncertainty over whether John Mitchell will be at the helm next season - even if his contract does not expire until the end of 2011.
Each week, Mitchell has been connected to another Super 14 province, including the Sharks, Chiefs and now the Lions. Even White's name has been tossed around as a possible successor in Perth.
Back at the Waratahs, if Hickey can lead them to their first title, don't be surprised if chest-beating NSWRU officials say that he ''can have the job for life''. But Hickey is wise enough to know to take everything at face value, and been around long enough to regularly produce a David Campese-like goosestep to keep everyone at bay.
