Meads urges for caution from NZRFU
New Zealand
December 16, 1999

Colin Meads, who was last week named New Zealand player of the century, has urged the NZRFU Board to exercise caution in its appointment of a successor to John Hart.

"They've got to get it right and shouldn't rush it just for the sake of making a decision. I don't care if it is delayed until the middle of January if necessary. Whoever gets the job doesn't have to worry about watching form because we're not into serious rugby until the end of February. The Board might even want to re-open applications and there might be other takers."

The comments suggest that Meads is not full of confidence in either of the presumed front runners for the coaching post - Wayne Smith and Tony Gilbert.

"I'm starting to think there might be an outsider coming into the running who nobody knows about. Perhaps someone like John Boe, who nobody is mentioning but who has a pretty good record when you sit down and study it."

It now seems highly likely that the board of the NZRFU will announce the identity of the coach to succeed John Hart on Friday afternoon.

They are due to meet then to consider the recommendation of the appointment committee set up to resolve what has turned out to be a tricky problem.

It is widely assumed that the choice narrows down to either Wayne Smith or Tony Gilbert, with the uneasy feeling that there are better candidates who are either unavailable or who have not applied.

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