All Blacks captain Sam Cane hopes the team will not be distracted during the World Cup while New Zealand Rugby goes through the process of appointing a head coach.
Scott Robertson, widely tipped to succeed Ian Foster after the tournament in France, said on Wednesday he was expecting an announcement to be made soon.
NZR appeared to be caught on the hop by Robertson's comments and later released a statement saying "an announcement about the All Blacks head coach or process is not imminent".
Sam Cane Photo: Photosport
Japan coach Jamie Joseph is another possible candidate to replace Foster when his contract runs out after the World Cup in France in October.
"What gives us the best chance as an All Blacks team of winning the World Cup is having as little off-field distraction as we can so that all the energy can be going into performance and playing," sadi Cane.
"I just think as long as it's dealt with in a way that's least disruptive for the current group so that there's as little off-field distraction as possible. Whether that's before a World Cup or after, that's not up to me."
-Reuters