Graham Henry moved a step closer to staying on as All Blacks coach after the New Zealand Rugby Union included him on its four-man shortlist for the job.


Henry and Super 14 coaches Robbie Deans, Colin Cooper and Ian Foster will be interviewed Dec. 6 by the board of the Wellington-based governing body. The NZRU said there were seven eligible candidates and it aims to appoint a coach by Christmas.


"We are confident that the short-listed candidates provide a very strong field to choose from," Mike Eagle, chairman of the union's rugby committee, said in a statement.

Follow up:

The union advertised the job after tournament favorite New Zealand lost to France in last month's World Cup quarterfinals, the worst All Blacks performance at the event. Under Henry, whose contract runs until March, the team won 42 of 48 games.


Previous coaches John Hart and John Mitchell were axed after semifinal defeats at the 1999 and 2003 World Cups. The All Blacks haven't won the sport's biggest prize since hosting the inaugural tournament in 1987.


Deans, the most successful coach in Super rugby, is the favorite for the job, according to bookmakers. Deans, who guided the Canterbury Crusaders to four Super 12/14 titles since 2000, was Mitchell's assistant from 2002-03.


Cooper has coached the Wellington Hurricanes since 2003 and has been co-coach of the Junior All Blacks since 2005. Foster has led the Waikato Chiefs since 2004 and helped Cooper coach New Zealand's second-string national team.


The three non-successful applicants have been advised, the union said, without identifying them.


Cup Flop


Last month's 20-18 defeat to the French in Cardiff, Wales, was the first time the All Blacks had failed to reach the semifinals at a World Cup. Henry said yesterday that he remained ``passionate'' about the job.

"The Rugby World Cup was a big disappointment and I'm responsible", Henry said late yesterday in a statement. "But I believe we can learn from that experience and develop into an even stronger All Blacks team."

Henry's strategy revolved around building a squad that would peak at the tournament. He regularly rotated players and withdrew them from Super 14 club matches so they could attend training camps with the national team.


Henry, a 61-year-old former schoolteacher, had previously coached Auckland, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. He led the All Blacks to a 3-0 sweep of the Lions, a Grand Slam of tour victories over European nations and three Tri-Nations titles.


New Zealand will host the next World Cup in 2011.


Source: Bloomberg