Loose Pass

This week we will be concerning ourselves with succession, nice moments, unfortunate moments and defining moments…

This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with succession, nice moments, unfortunate moments, disappointing moments and defining moments…

The question of coaching successors has been touched on before by Loose Pass, but we're revisiting it as it's more pertinent with the World Cup now behind us.

Gone are Graham Henry and Pieter de Villiers, the only two coaches of the big ten nations to be stepping down with no known successor waiting in the wings.

Speculation will only start locally on Henry's replacement later this week at the earliest… or whenever the hangovers wear off. But we're sticking the neck out now.

The list as far as we are concerned – and excepting the possibility that Steve Hansen of Wayne Smith might rise up – comprises Warren Gatland, Robbie Deans, Todd Blackadder, Vern Cotter and Dave Rennie.

The ideal fit looks to be Gatland fair and square, but given Gatland's new four-year contract with the WRU, it might cost the hard-up – so they say – NZRU a few pretty pennies too many. Likewise Deans.

Of the other three, Blackadder's CV reads the best, particularly after the incredible season he just took the Crusaders through, while Cotter was the man finally to bring home the Bouclier Brennus to Clermont. Dave Rennie has done some exceptional work both in terms of young player development and turning Manawatu into a province to be reckoned with. But neither of those two have enough Super Rugby experience. So to our way of thinking, it's Blackadder goes forth for the ABs.

The debate in South Africa has already begun in earnest, with the shortlist cut down mostly to Rassie Erasmus, Allister Coetzee and Heyneke Meyer. SARU appear to be too scared of Nick Mallett's personality, which is a shame, as he would be the ideal candidate.

But another fit for both countries may quietly steal a little limelight this coming Saturday in the Currie Cup Final. The Lions v Sharks clash will feature a coaching duel between John Mitchell and John Plumtree, both of whom would be perfectly eligible for either of the open roles. Both, Mitchell especially, have been responsible for the revivals of flagging provincial fortunes, with Plumtree enjoying a long run of success with the Sharks and Mitchell's young Lions looking more and more like the real deal.

It's one of the hallmarks of a great coach to be able to achieve with limited resources, and it's also significant to have travel on the CV. Mitchell has both of those attributes. If the NZRU can forget the anti-climax of 2003 when Mitchell's All Blacks were dumped out of the World Cup in the semi-finals – and given their achievement since forgiving Graham Henry in 2007, it's a possibility – of if SARU can think outside the box and steel themselves for a foreign coach, Mitchell could be a dark horse for either role.

Nobody wants to regain their team spot in this way, but it was a little heartwarming to see the smile slapped all over Stephen Donald's face as he climbed the podium to receive his RWC Winner's medal.

Donald has had the roughest of rides from the New Zealand public down the past four years, mostly because of his unfortunate habit of not being Dan Carter at certain moments.

But when he came on on Sunday, he looked to be New Zealand's most dangerous back at a time when the rest of them – the scrum-halves especially – were in dreadful danger of rediscovering the choking habit. His place-kicking having been the subject of hundreds of little witticisms involving the words 'scattergun' and 'novice golfer' down the years, it must have felt great to be the guy who landed what proved to be the decisive penalty from 40m.

Even civil servants have not refrained from insulting his talents, with his move to Bath iced for a while as he attempted to prove to the authorities that he was actually a value-adding world class player.

If we were he, we might be tempted to march into that civil servant's office tomorrow with that medal ostentatiously around the neck and a signed work permit application form in hand…

Staying with the number ten jersey at the moment… what on earth is happening to the world's fly-halves? A global curse?

Of the four semi-finalists, not one ended the tournament with their first-choice number ten intact. Rhys Priestland, Morgan Parra, Quade Cooper, Dan Carter, Colin Slade, Aaron Cruden all gone for a good length of time. It's almost a relief that there are no more games.

But spare a thought particularly for Quade Cooper. Unforgiveably booed all tournament (what is this, soccer? Get over it) and thoroughly out of sorts, Cooper finally looked to be playing his way against Wales. we saw steps, visionary passes… and then we saw him crumple to the ground with nobody even touching him, with even the Welsh gesticulating to the sideline as they saw the knee go.

A miserable tournament ended in the most miserable fashion for Cooper. Hopefully he bounces back, for in an era where mavericks are all too rare, Cooper is someone the game needs.

Spare no thoughts whatsoever for South Africa. While the rest of the world sat back to enjoy a belting finale, Springbok fitness coach Neels Liebel updated his facebook profile with the following snip of wisdom: 'Thank you Paddy O'Brain (sic), you won the World Cup for New Zealand. Give the Boks a Kiwi ref and the Aussies v NZ a SA ref. A set up for Kiwi success…'

This follows on from the requests from SARU that 'action' be taken against Bryce Lawrence, and also follows on from the ridiculous public statements made by Sports Science Professor Tim Noakes, asking for a public investigation and alleging that the Boks' loss to the Wallabies was 'pre-determined'.

That in turn follows on from the 80-odd thousand (largely) South Africans signed up to the facebook petition to stop Bryce Lawrence ever refereeing again.

It's two weeks on from the quarter-final, yet the writers persist and persist with their off-handed barbs at Lawrence. 'Failed to award penalties', 'allowed Pocock the freedom of the park', 'gave Australia all the leeway they needed', 'appalling performance', 'disgrace to the game'… on and on it goes, no let-up, no respite, not a shred of humility. It appears South Africa never lose, they just get cheated occasionally by global conspiracies.

“We are not a nation of whingers” said Bob Skinstad on a TV magazine show on Thursday. You could have fooled us. Let. It. Go.

The final word goes to Richie McCaw. New Zealand's deal was effectively sealed when Dimitri Szarzewski decided he could take no more torture and raced around offside to stop New Zealand's gruelling series of final rucks that ran the clock down.

When Craig Joubert whistled for that penalty, the large portion of All Blacks already started hugging and cheering. But not McCaw. He still wanted to see the kick go to touch, still wanted to make sure the final 't' was crossed. He stood