Team Foster vs Team Robertson: The coaching teams which could decide the next All Blacks boss

Sources have indicated to the Herald that Foster may try uniting Plumtree and Schmidt to join Scott McLeod on his ticket.

While Ireland failed to progress beyond the quarterfinals of two World Cups under Schmidt, they did rise to be recognised as the world's best team last year and the Kiwi mentor remains widely respected for his tactical knowledge of the game.

Despite his next move being the subject of constant speculation, Schmidt is notoriously guarded with his intentions.

At this point he has only said he intends to remain in Ireland to take a break from the game until June – a timeframe that would, potentially, leave him free to join the All Blacks coaching ranks for their next test series in July.

Nothing is set in stone, and cards remain close to chests, but the fact Plumtree and Schmidt have worked together previously would give symmetry to Foster's potential coaching team.

Former All Blacks prop Greg Feek, who worked as Ireland scrum coach for five years, is another potential recruit.

"I'm very happy with what I'm doing here. I couldn't be in a better place at the moment as I continue to grow as a coach.

"There's obviously clear candidates. Fozzie is there as front-runner and my good mate Razor has done a fantastic job.

"There's a lot of good New Zealand coaches everywhere. The process doesn't look too different to ones I knew about when I was down there. You can't complain about that and at the end of the day they'll get the right man for the job."

This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished with permission.

In other news: