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Coaching dilemma on `Tahs horizon

Monday 28th April 2008

Les Kiss: On the departures bandwagon ?

The NSW Waratahs face the prospect of having to hire an entirely new coaching staff if current assistant Les Kiss is not appointed as Head Coach for the 2009 Super 14 season.

The Waratahs, who are currently riding a wave of success and lying in second place in the Super 14, will start next season without current Head Coach Ewen McKenzie, whose contract will not be extended, and Attack Coach Todd Louden who is off to Japan.

Indications from Sydney are that if Defence Coach Kiss is not given the top job, he too will pack his bags. Forwards coach Steve Tuynman is also tipped to depart.

"There's no way Less Kiss will hang around for a seventh straight season as Defence Coach, not with his aspirations," a Waratahs insider told the AAP.

"And The Bird (Tuynman) won't hang around. The entire coaching structure is up in the air."

Below McKenzie, Louden, Kiss and Tuynman, the entire back-room staff, including team managers, doctors, physios and kicking and strength and conditioning coaches, are said to be nervously awaiting the appointment of McKenzie's replacement.

It was never going to be an easy task for the New South Wales board to find a replacement for McKenzie, the Waratahs' most successful coach ever, and now it seems possible that entirely new structure will have to be built from square one.

With Kiss believed to have been overlooked for a second interview and speculation rife that the job is down to a two-horse race between former Wallabies Attack Coach Scott Johnson and ex-Australian under-21s Coach Chris Hickey, all McKenzie's carefully built structure could be lost in one fell swoop.

"The players don't want to start learning all over again, new moves and strategies and what-not," the insider said.

McKenzie has been at the helm of the 'Tahs for five seasons which included a final in 2005 and a semi-final in 2006 - a performance which could well be repeated this season.

The former World Cup-winning prop and Wallabies Assistant Coach has also had an enormous influence off the field.

He has played a major role in recruiting big-name players to the franchise, most recently rugby league international Timana Tahu, and was also largely responsible for the Waratahs moving to the state-of-the-art facilities at Sydney Football Stadium.

McKenzie's departure is already having a bearing on the Waratahs' future, with Wallabies flanker Rocky Elsom saying he for one would not commit to a new playing contract until he knows who the next coach will be.

Despite reports of division at board level over the decision to sever ties with McKenzie, who is poised to sign a lucrative deal with French Top 14 club Stade Français, NSWRU chief executive Jim L'Estrange maintains he has no regrets.

L'Estrange is expected to make a recommendation to the board early next month after an independent panel decides on a shortlist of contenders to replace McKenzie.