Ian Foster it is then. The assistant grabs the top job just like his boss did the last time we went looking. I've deliberately waited a day to wade in on this wanting to absorb all the initial, predictable negativity around his appointment before making comment. 

In my humble opinion, and that is all it is, I believe Fozzie will do a great job. He's fully immersed in all things All Black, he's highly rated by those he coaches (not that their views seem to count for as much as those of the many kneejerk social media trolls spitting & spewing at times  like this) and he's also been right at the coalface of arguably the most successful ever period in AB rugby.

But forget all about all of that. The man should only be judged on the fact that he isn't as flamboyant as his competitor and his inability to be able to pull out the post-match breakdance should've been the ultimate clincher anyway, right?

I will quite happily place my hat in Foster's corner and stand to be firmly corrected should results go terribly against us. Y'see ultimately I really don't mind who got given the top job, I just want my team to regroup and reclaim the mantle of the world's best team - something that after the semi final smack from England we are currently a long way from being.

The only beef I have with this whole thing is the cumbersome, clumsy and totally unnecessary process undertaken to get to this point. Where was the excitement, the anticipation, the feeling that this was a really important big deal? How come this wasn't sorted well in advance? The lack of confidence I have is directed completely at the administrative bungling behind this palaava.

Why weren't the wheels put in motion months ago, years even? This is the All Blacks coaching job the most prestigious of its kind in the sport - yet it felt like a game of schoolground plum-pud where we all had to wait for the last two guys to be chosen before play could get underway. And remember we are talking  about NZ Rugby here, the Politburo, the hands-on obsessive control-freaks who dominate every single aspect of their sport. How do I say this next bit nicely...

Um, cut the crap and just get on with it. You don't need a process, you ARE the process. This isn't advertising for a middle management plonker in some govt dept.

YOU OWN YOUR SPORT. You control every decision like the central communist committee. 

No-one is impressed by or even believes this inclusivity bollocks. Just do it, tell us what you've done and actually BE accountable if it all fails.

In the meantime, as I said right at the start, the Deputy Principal's been given the job for at least the next 2 years. The last time this happened it didn't work out too bad.

And if memory serves me correctly that guy, Steve Hansen, took a bit of time to win the media and public over too...