Shaun Berne has been named the newest Wallabies assistant, completing the national coaching team just three months out from Australia's World Cup opener.
Rebels attack coach Berne will join the Wallabies as an assistant, replacing Stephen Larkham, who officially parted ways with the national side in February.
Though initially Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle had initially ruled out looking at Super Rugby candidates to replace him, speculation in recent weeks suggested the addition would come from a local franchise.
Departing Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson, who served as attack coach under Michael Cheika when NSW won the 2014 Super Rugby title, said earlier on Friday that he had been spoken to about the role while Reds attack coach Jim McKay was reported as a potential option earlier this year.
While Berne had shaped as the preferred candidate before this week, he is only now able to link up with the Wallabies with the Rebels' 2019 campaign ending before finals.
This is Berne's first role with a Test side, having previously been an assistant with the Western Force and with the Leinster 'A' side in Ireland.
He has had a long association with the Cheika, having played under the Wallabies coach when he was at Leinster.
“This is a huge opportunity for me personally but more importantly, I want to do whatever I can to make the Wallabies successful this year," he said.
“I want to contribute to the team by focusing on the things that will serve us best when we are under pressure, like passing, catching, alignment, running lines and deception - on and off the ball.
“I just want to add wherever I can to the coaching team around me – it sounds simple but simple things done really well, all the time, will get us to where Cheik wants us to be as a team,” Berne said.
Cheika said Berne would add some "energy" to the team.
“Shaun’s a great young coach and he’s going to add new energy into how we coach the players," he said.
"His job will be to help players achieve their top levels of play and stay at that level more consistently,” Cheika said.
Berne isn't the only new face - Dean Benton has been installed as head performance coach for the campaign while Ed Hollis has joined as physiotherapist for the World Cup campaign.
Benton has been working with the Wallabies since January and will continue on through the World Cup.
He was most recently head of Sports Science at England Rugby but has also worked in previously with and held roles at the NRL's Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm.
Hollis has spent the past four years with the Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership and will return to that side after the World Cup.
He has also worked with Premier League side Tottenham and the NRL's Canberra Raiders.
The non-Brumbies Wallabies contenders will convene in Brisbane next week to begin their World Cup preparations in earnest.
The Wallabies open their 2019 season in Johannesburg against the Springboks on July 20 before taking on the Pumas in Brisbane on July 27. Buy tickets here.
