Outgoing Highlanders coach Tony Brown believes Aaron Mauger is the right candidate to lead the franchise moving forward.
Mauger, 36, is currently serving as an assistant to Brown at the Highlanders, whose season was ended on Saturday night by the Crusaders 17-0 in Christchurch.
Brown said he would like the power to select his replacement from within the current group of coaches, and he identified Mauger as a standout.
"We all know Aaron Mauger's involved, he's been with us this week and I just think he's an impressive operator," Brown told Sunday Sport on RadioLIVE.
"[Mauger], Mark Hammett, Jon Preston, Clarke Dermody there's four quality coaches there.
"For me Aaron [Mauger] over the past couple of days has been really impressive," Brown added.
"I think he's the guy to take our team forward, for me he's just really impressive the way he operates."
Brown, who is off to Japan to join his former boss Jamie Joseph as part of the national team's set-up, thinks former Hurricanes boss Hammett would be the perfect foil for the former Crusaders second five-eight.
"I think Mark Hammet's done an awesome job with the Highlanders this year and he's loved his work that's he's done around the forwards and being able to get our forwards improving and learning.
"Right now I think that's probably MH's favourite job, and for the Highlanders it's probably his most valuable one.
"I think Mark enjoys being the system coach at the moment."
Brown was also quick to put a stop on any talk that the Highlanders were facing an impossible task against the Crusaders, having had their Friday night flight to Christchurch delayed, the side didn't arrive in the Garden City until 2:30pm on gameday.
Brown said despite the less than ideal final 24 hours before kick-off, they had a whole week to prepare for their southern rivals.
"If we'd been delayed out of Dunedin again and we're starting to get into 4 or 5pm, trying to arrive at that time I would've thought yep, 100 percent we need to delay the game.
"We got in at two-thirty, so there was plenty of time for us to adjust, adapt and get ready for the game.
"So, no complaints there."
As for predicting a winner of the competition, Brown wouldn't go as far as locking in the Crusaders but he believes they will be in the final in two weeks' time.
"They've got basically the All Black forward pack and then the All Black reserves coming on and they were very good last night. I don't see anyone tipping them up next week.
"The Lions at home, if that's who they have to go and play it's probably a coin flip there I think."
The Crusaders host the Chiefs on Saturday night, while the table-topping Lions face a visit form the defending Super Rugby champions, the Hurricanes.
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