Australia expect to be inundated with applications for the vacant Wallabies coaching position in the next fortnight after advertising the position in the national press.
The Australian Rugby Union has taken the unusual step of publicising the post in The Australian newspaper as they seek a replacement for Eddie Jones, who was sacked following the disappointing recent tour of Europe.
The advertisement calls for someone with at least seven years coaching experience at international or professional level, with a view to developing the Wallabies into serious contenders for the 2007 World Cup in France.
ARU high performance manager Peter Davis told ABC Radio that the organisation’s formal search for a coach has begun and that he expects to have a strong list of candidates when applications close on January 13.
"It’s all part of our overall process of looking for the right coach to fit the right model," he said.
"We’re going through a process of examining the best model for us, the best system for us, and now this is just part of the process to get the word out there that we’re looking in all corners."
Davis said the ARU were looking for someone who could act quickly to arrest the slide in the national team’s fortunes, and have the side ready for the World Cup in two years.
"That basically embraces our short and long-term objectives. We do want to be competitive, we want to win the World Cup – there’s no question about that, there’s no secret," he said.
"So that’s really the short-term, immediate goal, but beyond that we want to develop a process where we maintain international competitive excellence."
