If this was a horse race, Scott McLeod is coming from the back of the field and heading for the front.
It is looking like the performance of Waverley stayer Kiwi in the Melbourne Cup in 1983.
Highlanders assistant coach McLeod has suddenly been touted as one of the leading contenders to take over from Wayne Smith when Smith leaves the All Black assistant coaching role later this year.
Smith has been involved for 20 years and one would think there would be a logjam of contenders to take over his role.
But due to impending departures, those who have already departed and others just not quite ready or gone out the back door, then the cupboard is not exactly crowded.
Smith's specialty is defence, which is McLeod's job with the Highlanders.
McLeod has been with the Highlanders since 2013 and had a disappointing start in his first year, when a star-studded side lost its first eight games and then ended up near the foot of the table at the end of the season.
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph changed roles the following year when Tony Brown came on board and McLeod took charge of defence, instead of a somewhat confusing dual role, and he has had that responsibility since.
The Highlanders have made some big improvements in their play when they have not had the ball and McLeod is behind much of the progress.
His good work to get the side into the playoffs for three straight years - and possibly four with the Highlanders looking good to play in the post-season this year - has not gone unnoticed by those higher up who make the decisions.
He has the technical skills needed for the job and also wore the black jersey, which these days counts for something.
Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree looms as the other strong contender for the job.
That McLeod is a chance shows much can happen in the sport in a relatively short period of time.
He would have been the roughest of chances to join the All Black coaching team a year ago.
At that stage, the 44-year-old was just another assistant of many in a New Zealand Super Rugby team.
But Chiefs coach Dave Rennie is off to Glasgow at the end of the season and Highlanders coach Brown is heading off to be the assistant coach of the Japanese national side.
Joseph is already in Japan, while former Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder has moved to Bath and his time appears to have passed.
Many of the other assistants with Super Rugby sides do not have enough mileage in the tank to be serious candidates.
McLeod has coached for about 10 years, working in Japan, then with the Waikato provincial side and also some work with the Chiefs.
McLeod told Auckland media on Sunday he would put his up his hand up for the All Black role but nothing had been decided. He still had to talk to other people and family.
Complicating matters is that McLeod is one of three vying to be the Highlanders head coach next year.
Brown's departure means McLeod, Mark Hammett or the soon-to-arrive Aaron Mauger will be the new Highlanders coach next year.
McLeod may have to weigh up the chance of getting the main job with a franchise or chasing an assistant's role with the national side.
Of course, he could end up with neither.
He is due to talk to the media in Dunedin today.