Steve Hansen is a nailed-on certainty to become the next coach of the All Blacks and succeed, Graham Henry but New Zealand should retain the World Cup winner in some capacity, former fullback Christian Cullen says.
Henry has been linked with a move to England while a mentoring role with young coaches in New Zealand has also been mentioned after he ended his eight year-reign when the All Blacks beat France 8-7 in the World Cup final at Eden Park last month.
Cullen, a devastating attacking fullback who scored 46 tries in 58 All Black tests between 1996 and 2002 bristled at the prospect of Henry possibly appearing in the home dressing room at Twickenham in England in the future.
"I wouldn't want to see him go overseas or go to England or anywhere like that but hey, he might get offered the right money and he might go you just never know," Cullen said in Singapore in a recent interview with Reuters.
"Lets be honest, he has a wealth of experience, he has been all around the world coaching and in the UK and he has a lot of knowledge there and you would probably rather keep that in New Zealand than take it elsewhere.
"But I think he is reasonably happy within himself now and his life may be complete now with winning the World Cup so he might want to stay in New Zealand and help out the coaches that are coming through."
Henry's assistant through the successful World Cup campaign at home last month was Hansen, and Cullen believed continuity was the key in the thinking of the New Zealand Rugby Union and that would make the former Wales coach a certainty for the role.
"I think it is probably in the bag for Steve Hansen. He knows how everything is done and (All Black assistant) Wayne Smith and Graham Henry will step aside and he is probably the next guy waiting in line.
"There are a lot of good coaches around New Zealand but Steve Hansen is probably the main guy at the moment."
Cullen, 35, said that Hansen, Smith and Henry had shown their ability to motivate their players through the tournament after some had endured a below-average Super rugby campaign with their clubs before the tournament.
"The key is knowing the players and knowing how to get the best out of them," the man known as the 'Paekakariki Express' in his playing days said.
"You have seen through the season some coaches didn't get the best out of their players and once they got them into that All Black environment they changed and performed so you need that consistency."
Cullen was also confident that the All Blacks would maintain their consistency of Henry's era - when they won 88 of 103 tests - having ended a 24-year wait to win rugby's biggest prize for the second time.
"Some of those teams that have won the World Cups have been on the older side and once some of those older or experienced guys had left so that is maybe why the teams have dipped.
"I think this side there is probably only a few guys that may leave like (fullback) Mils (Muliaina) but you see Israel Dagg coming through so I think we are in good hands in New Zealand.
"I think whenever you put on an All Black jumper, whether it be a World Cup final or a game against Tonga or Fiji or Samoa you want to play well so I don't think standards will drop."
Cullen, who played in the 1999 World Cup in Europe, promised drinks all round the next time the 2011 winners were in Wellington.
"I have a bar in New Zealand," he said. "If they come they will have free beers."
