By Bret Harris
April 05, 2008
THE Australian Rugby Union will wait until after the Super 14 season to announce the appointment of Blues coach David Nucifora as its high performance manager.
And the Brumbies will interview NSW Waratahs attack coach Todd Louden for their head coaching position.

A well-informed source said the ARU and Nucifora have reached agreement on the HPU job, but the former Wallabies hooker does not want any publicity which might disrupt his team's Super 14 campaign.

Nucifora said he had not been in contact with ARU chief executive John O'Neill since arriving in Sydney on Wednesday for the Blues' match with the Waratahs.

But Nucifora has been talking to O'Neill about the high performance manager's job ever since Pat Howard resigned last month.

"I heard he (O'Neill) was out of town," Nucifora said.
"We haven't seen each other. We haven't had a chat.

"We've had some informal discussions. Yes, we have had a discussion about the job.

"It's damn hard doing this job week to week, getting your team prepared so all the speculation that comes up with other jobs makes it quite difficult.

"I'm sure that will sort itself out over the coming month or two.

"I'm under no time pressure, which is great because it lets us concentrate on this job, which is a pretty tough one at times."

One of the sticking points between the ARU and Nucifora was the location of the job.

It is understood Nucifora wanted to commute to ARU headquarters in Sydney from Brisbane three times a week, but O'Neill preferred that the high performance manager was based in the harbour city.

But Nucifora said the logistics of the job would not be an issue.

"As far as that job goes, those sorts of issues and intricacies with doing the job ... you know, if I'm going to do a job I'll commit to it 100 per cent.

"If it involves moving anywhere, I've already had to move a couple of times in my career. Moving is not an issue."

Another strong indicator that Nucifora has effectively done a deal with the ARU is that he has no interest in the Waratahs coaching job.

"I haven't had any phone calls yet," Nucifora said. "I have no idea to be honest other than what you guys write in the media. It's just speculation out there.

"At this stage, no. I've got another year of my contract to run at the Blues.

"There is an option in my contract to take that year up.

"It's something we will talk about at the end of the season.

"I am happy. It's been a great four years for me. I've really enjoyed working with this team. At this point I don't have any genuine interest in the Waratahs. Their time lines aren't of concern to me.

"If people are going to speculate on things, it's better to be included than excluded. It's a better position to have your name mentioned than not mentioned."

The Brumbies are being tight-lipped about their coaching candidates, but a reliable source in Canberra said that Louden would meet officials from the ACT in the next few days.

Surprisingly, Louden has stated that he is not a candidate for the Waratahs' head coaching job following the controversy over Ewen McKenzie's axing, but NSW officials hope he will change his mind.

"The door is still open and I'm hoping he'll still consider things," Waratahs chief executive Jim L'Estrange said.

"If he puts up his hand, I'll welcome it, but it's Todd's call."

Incumbent Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher has expressed a desire to continue in the position he has held for four years, while his assistant Matt O'Connor is also expected to apply.

Harlequins coach Andy Friend has also expressed interest in both the Brumbies and Waratahs jobs.

"We have a process in place ... to reach a decision around the end of the season," Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan said.

"We will make a decision when we are comfortable with the outcome of the process.

"In the last couple of weeks I've heard a lot of rumours and I've had some bizarre conversations clarifying who is interested and who's not interested."


http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html