A summit, featuring some of the sharpest minds in Australian rugby, has committed to establishing a national coaching panel.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, 1991 World Cup-winning mentor Bob Dwyer and former head of national coaching Dick Marks were among the 'brains trust' who met on Thursday in Sydney.
Australia's poor showings at Super Rugby level and the lack of emerging local coaches, capable of succeeding Cheika, have raised questions about the depth and structure of coaching in the country.
"We're committing to setting up a national coaching panel," Cheika said after Thursday's meeting.
"That's a coaching panel that's going to help support the development of coaches throughout the whole game - from elite level down to the very junior level there - having the support mechanisms for our coaches to be better."
Asked about the potential role and responsibilities of a national coaching panel, Cheika said: "To give information and try to assist coaches with the fundamentals of the game.
"We certainly don't want to play one style of footy all round. We want the diversity of game going on and just to support the whole coaching structure so we are getting better coaches from the very junior level - having a feedback process where our coaches can get improved."
Chieka said the first step would be formalise in writing the main points from Thursday's meeting in around 10 days and to circulate them to state unions and Super Rugby coaches to get their feedback.
He said people involved in Thursday's summit would reconvene after the June Tests with the possibility of having something established in three months.
With Australia's poor Super Rugby form compounded by community anger over the Australian Rugby Union's handling of the proposed axing of one of the five local franchises for next season, Cheika felt the move towards establishing a national coaching panel could provide some positive action.
"There's been a lot of negativity about the game. We can't escape that and we can't do much about those other things as coaches," Cheika said.
"But we can make a difference by getting something going for the game."
