Rugby Australia are one step closer to selecting the next Wallabies head coach with the organisation announcing World Rugby administrator Peter Horne will be taking on the role of high-performance director with his first task to find Eddie Jones' replacement in the new year.
While Horne will not formally start his position with RA until March, he's still expected to play a key role in selecting the next Wallabies coach as well as creating the staffing structure around the national team.
Making the announcement in Sydney on Friday, both Horne and RA boss Phil Waugh left the door open for former coach Michael Cheika to make a return to the set up just four years after he left Australian rugby.
Cheika quit the Wallabies in 2019 after his side was knocked out of the World Cup against Jones' England in the quarterfinals before he revealed his "dysfunctional" relationship with then RA boss Raelene Castle as he left.
He soon took up a role with Argentina rugby as an advisor with the Pumas before he took over the head coaching position less than two years ago. After taking the side to the World Cup semifinals in France he announced earlier this week he would be leaving.
When asked if RA would be interested in Cheika's return both Waugh and Horne said they would remain open to anyone and would be openminded to Australian or international coaches.
"I'm open to anyone as long as they're the right person, create the right team and built for success," Horne said.
"I think it's more around best fit and the right person for the role so we can get the success, so I'm totally open to whether it's an international candidate or Australian. As an Australian I'd love to see Australians leading but, in this situation, I think where we're at, it's the best person for the role.
"It's vital that we get the right person, and we need to attract the best possible candidates, and then we need to create the best possible team from a coaching team, support staff and more broadly, how that integrates into the broader high-performance system within Rugby Australia. So yeah, some long nights, potentially double jobbing but I'm up for it."
Horne will also be joined by fellow Australian David Nucifora in an advisory role. Nucifora is credited with the high-performance restructure that saw Ireland become the number one men's XVs nation in the world. The appointment of the pair could help lure highly rated coach Joe Schmidt to Australian shores, with Nucifora working closely with the New Zealander during his time at Ireland.
Wary of seeing a repeat of this year's disastrous season that saw Dave Rennie sacked in January, the Wallabies fail to reach the World Cup knock out stage for the first time, the resignation of Eddie Jones just 10 months into his five-year term and the ousting of RA chair Hamish McLennan, Waugh said the organisation would be "disciplined" in their decision making, but was aware they are racing the clock to find a replacement.
"I've been really clear that we need to be disciplined in the organisation and the most important role before we go to selecting the head coach is the director of high-performance and we're excited to have Peter on board now," Waugh said. "We'll be in market next week with expressions of interest [for Wallabies coach].
"Peter and I will be talking about what's the right process and what is the appropriate selection panel and we'll be working through that as the expressions of interest come through. And ideally, we want to be having an appointment certainly Q1 in 2024 given the Welsh are here in July.
"It is a bit of a sprint, we understand that time is against us, but equally it's really important to get the process right and this is a journey, this is the start of that journey and really exciting path ahead for the game here in Australia, and we need to be really disciplined and go through the right process to get the best possible people into the organisation."
Horne's remit will see him oversee the Wallabies, Wallaroos, the highly successful sevens programs as well as aligning the five Super Rugby clubs' high-performance and pathway systems. But it's the Wallabies set up and creating an aligned system that Horne plans to focus on first.
"I think the key things for me is obviously we need to get the Wallabies up and running," Horne said. "Getting that structure together, getting the right team, right people, right roles.
"We're going to start with Wallabies getting a head coach, getting the support program. We need to get centralised and alignment. We need to start getting and recruiting the right people in the right roles and then we need to make sure that we implement the strategy that the board has set.
"They're probably the three or four key things that we need to do in the next three months as a priority, get it across the line.
"Time is ticking, so hence my wanting to be involved right from the start in terms, not only the head coach role and the recruitment of that, but also getting the right team and then we can be prepared appropriately for July."
Meanwhile, Nucifora's return comes close to a decade after he first left Australian rugby after his high-performance reforms were voted down and two years after he shot down former RA CEO Andy Marinos' invite to return to Australia.
"It's really exciting to have David involved back with Australian rugby and I think that he's certainly seen the ambition and the strategic reset that we're going on as really appealing," Waugh said. "He's coming back to live in Australia and really interested being a proud Australian to see Australian rugby do well.
"Clearly, where we're at, he sees that as a massive opportunity and he like Peter, feels like he can have influence on the success going forward. It is a really important role that he'll play given his experience, given his success in one of the tougher markets, if we can lean on his experience and what he's delivered to assist us in what we're trying to do, it'd be great for Australian rugby."
Nucifora won't begin his role until he finishes his commitments with Ireland Rugby after the 2024 Paris Olympics.