Title‑winning Waratahs coach Michael Cheika looms as the Australian Rugby Union's number‑one target to guide the Wallabies to next year's Rugby World Cup.
Cheika is the favourite to replace Ewen McKenzie, who quit as his team produced their best performance of the year but fell 29‑28 against the All Blacks in a Bledisloe heart‑breaker last night.
Within hours of McKenzie's resignation letter being emailed to Australian Rugby Union, the governing body's five‑man Rugby Committee met to discuss who should be the new coach.
ARU chairman Michael Hawker, former Wallabies Brett Robinson, John Eales and Paul McLean, and leading official Ben Whitaker are on the committee which has only has a couple of days to appoint a new coach.
Springboks World Cup‑winning coach Jake White, who lost out to McKenzie as Robbie Deans' replacement last year, remains an option after being released by the Durban‑based Sharks.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks will announce its team tomorrow for the Europe tour.
Source: ABC
