Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson has welcomed the idea of a national elite coaching manager, as Australia’s Super Rugby sides continue to battle on the field.
ARU high performance manager Ben Whitaker has earmarked the possibility of bringing in a position at national level to support Super Rugby and other high-level coaches as part of a wider coaching rethink.
A national think tank will see Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, skills coach Mick Byrne, Rugby World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer and Dick Marks meet to work towards a new coaching blueprint.
Australia’s Super Rugby coaches are relatively inexperienced as head coaches, all in their first Super Rugby head coaching roles and all have faced challenges on various levels, on and off the field.
While Gibson said he felt these obstacles would ultimately be their biggest weapons, he welcomed the idea of a more united look at coaching.
“I think any support around growing the next generation of coaches in Australia is a really excellent move and one that I'd fully support,” he said.
“I think it's all part of it - experience is the greatest teacher and we're all going through some good experiences, they're learning a lot from.
“I guess having an excellent coaching development system would definitely help.”
The overarching philosophy behind the new system is one about collaboration between the states and national bodies, a mentality that other countries have done with great success and it’s one Gibson believes is "win-win".
“I guess what we're looking for is that real collaborative model, whether that's centralisation or a really good support system,” Daryl Gibson.
“Either works really well and what both 'Cheik' and Ben have done really well is starting to really align all the states towards the national program and obviously ensure that it's a win-win for everyone.”
The Waratahs take on the Rebels next Sunday, coming off their second bye, and Gibson expects to have both Andrew Kellaway and Taqele Naiyaravoro at his disposal.
Kellaway made a successful return from a throat injury on Saturday, playing close to a half in Randwick’s draw with Eastwood, while Naiyaravoro trained fully after a broken hand.
Thank you for having us Sylvania Bulldogs, we hope you had an awesome time! #GoTahs pic.twitter.com/ZgtDiMItU5
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The young back was one of 17 Waratahs players in action in clubland on their weekend off, with the rest pushing through training in the shire, taking a session at junior club Sylvania Bulldogs on Saturday morning.
The Waratahs host the Rebels on Sunday afternoon, kicking off at 4:05pm AEST LIVE on FOX SPORTS and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO. Tickets on sale at waratahs.com.au.
