New Zealand assistant coach Wayne Smith has announced he will continue in his post despite being linked with a move to become head coach of Welsh regional side the Ospreys.

"I am staying with the All Blacks," Smith told reporters at the team's hotel on Sunday, the day after they'd ended their 2008 Test campaign with a 32-6 win over England.

Smith, who for the past four years has been the All Blacks' backs coach, had voiced his concerns regarding the amount of time he was spending away from his wife Trish.

"It was a family decision. I'd been speaking to Trish for several weeks over it," the 51-year-old Smith explained.

"Obviously I had to resolve some of the time away from home issues which I've done with Steve Tew (New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive) and Jock Hobbs (NZRU chairman).

"I've probably got more ability now to control the peripheral activities of being an All Black coach, the high performance stuff" said Smith, whose contract runs until 2009.

"Ultimately it came down to these fellas here (head coach Graham Henry and forwards chief Steve Hansen), the people I coach with, the management team and the players. They are pretty special people and I don't think you could get there anywhere else.

"I love the jersey, love my country, love the people I'm working with and coaching. At the end of the day that's the most important thing in the game but sometimes you've got to remind yourself of that."

Smith, who won 17 New Zealand caps as an outside-half, enjoyed a brief spell as the All Blacks head coach from 2000 to 2001 before stepping aside following a Bledisloe Cup defeat to Australia.

After ceding his New Zealand post to John Mitchell, Smith took over at English Premiership side Northampton.

But in 2004 he was brought back into the New Zealand fold, along with Hansen, by Henry.

In a controversial move, the trio were all retained despite last year's World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France.

New Zealand responded to that loss by winning 13 of their 15 Tests in 2008, a sequence that saw the All Blacks take the Tri-Nations title.

And on Saturday they beat England 32-6 at Twickenham to complete a grand slam of wins over the four home unions without conceding a try.

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