Leading up to the World Cup semi- finals it seemed that everyone in the Northern Hemisphere was rushing towards its own version of the Super 12.
One week later and the All Blacks have been beaten, the knives are out, old scores being polished up and suddenly there seem to be cracks in all the assumptions about the quality of the Super 12.
Peter Sloane (John Hart's assistant), Wayne Smith (Canterbury Crusaders coach) and Tony Glibert(Otago Highlanders coach ) seem to be emerging as the leading contenders to take over the All Black's hot seat but if the NZRFU listen to calls for a completely fresh start, then Sloane and Smith seem likely to be tarred with the same brush that has so damaged Hart's reputation. Hart's predecessor, Laurie Mains now coaching in South Africa said "We are at the end of a four-year cycle and there have to be changes, probably changes that the NZRFU council should have made last year."
With the New Zealand rugby press speculating over Hart's successor former All Black skipper Buck Shelford has taken the chance to have a go at the whole system.
Shelford,now coach of North Harbour, has made it clear that he is unlikely to be a candidate for the top job. In explaining himself Shelford launched a scathing attack on the Super 12 set-up, from which he obviously feels excluded,
"If you're not a Super 12 player you can't be an All Black and it's the same with coaching. I think the franchises are becoming very, very selfish for their own gain and to the detriment of the provinces. They say the Super 12 system will bring the best to the top but I don't know. They're taking away the All Black dreams of a lot of young players in the NPC and coaches and I think that's tough... I'll spend my four years at North Harbour and if I don't get a Super 12 job then goodbye New Zealand rugby. I'll go overseas and I think a lot of other good coaches will too.'