Since Clarke Dermody was unveiled as the new head coach on a three-year deal a month ago, there has been radio silence on who he will have beside him.
Riki Flutey is still contracted as skills coach but there could be two, or even three, vacancies on the staff.
The smart money is on Otago and New Zealand under-20 coach Tom Donnelly landing his first Super Rugby gig — he has impressed in both roles, and appears to be the ideal fit with his former team-mate — but the potential identity of any other assistant is a complete mystery.
Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark is happy to talk about timeframes and what sort of people the club is looking for, but do not expect him to start naming names until signatures are on paper.
"We’re hoping, in the next few days, to name at least one of the coaches that will support Derms," Clark said yesterday.
"We’re also planning a coaches’ breakfast with sponsors and media in a couple of weeks when we will hopefully have all coaching staff on board.
"So we are very close to finalising all of them."
Clark said the Highlanders recognised the importance of beefing up their coaching resources.
"We’ve worked really hard to get a group of people around Clarke who are going to add some real value to him, and challenge him, people who have experience in head coaching or growing young players.
"We’re really trying to increase the capacity and capability of our coaching team, so hopefully there will be some excitement around that."
Speculation continues to mount that the Highlanders are finding a role for former Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd, who has just finished a stint as director of rugby at English powerhouse Northampton.
Clark, as he did when Dermody’s appointment was confirmed, would only confirm the team intended to appoint a mentor or kaumatua-type figure to provide guidance to the coaching team, a role long held by beloved former coach Tony Gilbert.
"We are definitely looking to make that role more formalised.
"We see it as being a really important part of providing support to Clarke to help him set up the season and set up the coaching group for success.
"So they would be heavily involved in that October to February role then shift into more of a monitoring role.
"As far as who that person will be, that is still to be finalised."
In terms of the playing roster, the Highlanders have until October 27 to confirm a 38-strong squad plus about 10 apprentices.
Most of this year’s team will be back, and they have already announced rising lock Fabian Holland and Chiefs winger Jonah Lowe have been contracted for 2023.
That leaves just a couple of spots open, and while most assume that is in case an unexpected contender emerges during the NPC, Clark said that was not necessarily the case.
"The talent identification that’s done by all teams now, including our own, is such that all the players are known to everyone.
"I don’t think you’ll get any real surprises out of the NPC but you might have players reinforcing their selections."
Rising Otago loose forward Christian Lio-Willie took himself out of the equation when he signed for the champion Crusaders.
The Highlanders were in the race for Lio-Willie, Clark said.
"But we can’t keep everyone. Looking at our loose forward mix, we’ve got some pretty exciting players, and in the end, Christian decided to go for opportunities."
There is no real off-season for the Highlanders.
While their base beside the stadium is quieter than usual as all the players are away on duty for various teams, the folks behind the scenes are flat out on both the business and rugby sides of the organisation.
"It’s a really busy time for us because this is the time when the club, right from the board to the team, lay the foundations for the future," Clark said.
"We know we’ve got to be a lot better than we’ve been the last couple of years, right across the board, so we’re changing things and investing in areas that are going to help us be better.
"That starts with winning the off-season.
"We need to get our coaching team set up to succeed, and get the best squad we can. And on the business side, it’s about exciting people to become members again and come to games, and looking at the sponsorship point of view."
