Departing Auckland coach David Nucifora says the prospect of working with one of his rugby archrivals could be the carrot that lures him back to the ARU stable.

Ironically, the man that has tempted him to leave New Zealand shores is the Kiwi who beat him to his most coveted job.

Nucifora has opted out of the final year of his coaching contract with the Blues, who play the Reds at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night, to return to the state where he began his coaching career at club side Wests.

While he insists his relocation to the Sunshine State is primarily for family reasons, the 46-year-old has been strongly tipped to replace Pat Howard at the head of the ARU's high performance unit.

Nucifora, a former Wallaby hooker, has spoken with ARU boss John O'Neill regarding the position and admitted the lure of working with new Australian coach Robbie Deans was a tempting proposition.

Crusaders' coach Deans and Nucifora have butted heads on a host of occasions in Super rugby, while it was Deans who knocked Nucifora off the perch in the running for the Wallaby gig.

Even though they have been on opposite sides of the firing lines in the past, the ARU will have two of the world's top rugby brains under one roof if it can entice Nucifora into its ranks.

"That is part of the offer that does interest me, to be able to work closely with Robbie if that did happen. All of those things are of interest," Nucifora said in Brisbane.

"I'll weigh them all up after I work out what suits us first as a family. Then we'll look at those and make a choice I hope is the right one."

Nucifora said talks were continuing with O'Neill in terms of the high performance posting and ruled out a tilt at the vacant Waratahs job, saying he wanted to base himself in his hometown as his children entered high school.

"I have had talks with John O'Neill about it. No decision has been made and no agreement has been reached on that. It's not about the job bringing me home. The decision to come home is a family one," he said.

"Yes, I am still interested in the job they've been talking about but it's not the only thing that's available. Whatever job does come up will be the best for my family's future.

"There are some other options that I'm looking at. Things that I can do when living in Brisbane. The choice will come over the next couple of weeks.

"I've only had one or two conversations with John over what he's put forward. There's no agreement in place and a lot of things need to be sorted out before it could eventuate."

Nucifora has been at the helm of the Blues for four years after heading across the Tasman in 2004, the year after he lead the Brumbies to the Super 12 crown. He remains the only coach to be sacked after leading their club to a grand final victory, when he was dumped by a player revolt.

He failed to deliver a Super 14 title to the Blues amid cries of underachieving from impatient fans. The club finds itself in a race to make the finals this season, with a loss to the Reds the end of the line for 2008.

With the move to Brisbane, prospects at noted nursery Churchie could profit from some high-profile advice given Nucifora's brother, Garry, is the school's director of rugby.