Recently appointed All Blacks coach Ian Foster remains "confident and hopeful" Brad Mooar will join his coaching staff.
Three of Foster's four fulltime coaching staff were announced on Thursday, with John Plumtree joined by Greg Feek and Scott McLeod.
Plumtree will be forwards coach, while Feek will be the scrum specialist and McLeod will continue his defensive role.
A fourth coach is still to be named, but Foster confirmed he's targeted Mooar for that job.
Mooar is four months into his three-year contract with Welsh club Scarletts and they're currently negotiating with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) over an early release.
"There has been a report from Scarlets that they're talking to [NZR] about Brad Mooar," said Foster. "All I can confirm is that's true and we're letting those protocols unfold.
"It's going well. We're really confident and hopeful we'll get a solution soon."
Former Crusaders assistant Mooar admits he's "torn" over leaving Wales to return to New Zealand, with Scarlets reportedly wanting $400,000 in compensation, according to a Welsh news report.
Last week, Foster was named to replace Steve Hansen, whose eight-year tenure finished with a third-placing at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
