Newly-appointed NSW Waratahs chief executive Greg Harris is keen to expedite the selection process of the successor to coach Michael Cheika.
The CEO of the Rugby Union Players' Association, Harris moves in to that role at the Waratahs from next Monday, replacing Jason Allen, who stepped down last September.
Harris has played and administrated in rugby union, rugby league and Australian rules, but joked he didn't complete the full set of Australia's four main football codes as he was "too slow" for soccer.
One of his first priorities with the Waratahs will be to oversee the selection of a successor to Cheika, who will relinquish his post after the Super Rugby season to concentrate solely on his other present position of Wallabies coach.
"It's important that this gets resolved fairly quickly because who the leader of the band is going to be will have some determination as to whether or not certain people want to play in the band," Harris told AAP.
"Who the coach is, will naturally influence the deliberations of some of the players."
Harris talked to Cheika and examined the Waratahs' financial situation before agreeing to take the job.
While Harris doesn't have a background in the financial sector like many other sporting CEOs, he has helped substantially grow the revenue of some of his past employers, including another Super Rugby franchise, the Western Force, and Sydney University Sports.
It was at Sydney University where he put current Waratahs skipper Dave Dennis on a scholarship several years ago and unsuccessfully tried to recruit him for the Melbourne Rebels when that Super Rugby team was starting up.
"His biggest strength is he's got a fair understanding of the rugby environment," Dennis said.
"He's got a fair idea of what the players want.
"I think he'll be a good addition."
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