The man who masterminded the Wallabies' shock Rugby World Cup defeat by Fiji has been repatriated to Australian rugby, with Simon Raiwalui set to take on the role as the Waratahs head of performance.
Raiwalui will return to the city where he was a Shute Shield fixture with Manly, before heading off overseas to play and then coach, with the former Flying Fijian player and coach tasked with overseeing the Waratahs' rebuild from a disastrous 2024.
NSW's 2-12 season saw them finish last in Super Rugby Pacific, leading to the exit of coach Darren Coleman and an all-out crisis at Daceyville as senior players departed and even skipper Jake Gordon asked for a release.
But it is hoped Raiwalui's appointment, which has been overseen by Rugby Australia under the centralization agreement established late last year, will bring stability to the franchise as the governing body prepares to enter a new round of broadcast negotiations.
Both The Roar and Sydney Morning Herald reported the deal was done, which ESPN was able to confirm via a source with knowledge of the situation.
Raiwalui's first task will be to help make the decision on who replaces Coleman, with former Wallabies assistant Scott Wisemantel and Dan McKellar, who parted ways with Leicester at the weekend, believed to be the frontrunners.
Raiwalui had earlier this year taken on a development role with World Rugby, after a brilliant World Cup campaign that very nearly saw Fiji reach the semifinals for the first time in tournament history.
Having narrowly lost to Wales in their opening pool game, Fiji then bounced back to defeat Australia 21-15 in Saint-Etienne, a victory that was more dominant than the scoreline suggests.
They were stunned by Portugal in their final pool game but rebounded strongly to push England all the way in their quarterfinal in Marseille.
Raiwalui has worked in Australian rugby previously, having been an assistant coach under Michael Cheika at the Wallabies.
But it's his work in Fiji that really stands out, given he also oversaw the Fijian Drua's introduction into Super Rugby Pacific, his ability to lay solid foundations - the Drua made the quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024 - sure to be of value in Sydney.
In the days that followed Fiji's stunning victory over the Wallabies, Raiwalui took former Australia winger Drew Mitchell to task over a podcast rant the Fijian coach felt had disrespected his team.
The two men soon made up, however, before Raiwalui appeared on The Kick-offs and Kick-ons podcast earlier this year.
Biv comes bearing beers 🍺 and he extends an olive branch 🕊️ to the people of Fiji 🇫🇯 after his social media slip of the tongue 👅
— Kick Offs and Kick Ons (@kickoffskickons) April 26, 2024
Tune in to watch 👀 Drew's sit down with former Fijian 🇫🇯 head coach Simon Raiwalui.
Full chat out now on our YouTube channel📺#TheKOKOShow pic.twitter.com/O78c9Qb638
The Waratahs have already watched Ned Hanigan and Lachie Swinton depart for overseas clubs while Jed Holloway is also reported to have requested a release, leaving the franchise without some serious experience and depth up front.
Whether Raiwalui's appointment will be enough to convince Rebels free agents Rob Leota and Taniela Tupou to join the Waratahs remains to be seen, but it is undoubtedly a huge boost for the team that represents Australia's biggest provincial market.
Meanwhile, McKellar is suddenly a genuine option for the Waratahs after he exited Leicester after only one season in the job. The Tigers finished eighth in the Premiership under McLennan and while the former Brumbies boss had presented a plan to continue, philosophical differences about the direction of the club with the board brought about his early exit.
Given McLennan was at one point pegged as Dave Rennie's successor, RA administrators could well push to bring him back into the fold, particularly given his success at the Brumbies.