Tim Walsh will take the reins as Australian Men's Sevens coach, Rugby Australia announced on Monday.
Walsh, who is leaving his post as coach of the Australian Women's Sevens side after the Commonwealth Games, replaces Andy Friend.
Friend's contract was not renewed by Rugby Australia but it's understood the governing body is eager to keep him involved with the code in a fresh role.
Walsh led the Australia's women to an historic Olympic gold medal in Rio two years ago and was highly sought after when news broke of his impending departure in January.
Walsh announced his intention to keep coaching at the time - leaving Rugby Australia with a serious possibility of losing his services - but he has turned down multiple offers to coach overseas to remain in Australia.
"I had no expectation of remaining in Australia and had very seriously considered taking up an option elsewhere," Walsh said.
"But as I have always said, I am passionate about Australia, as much now as a coach as I was when I played, so naturally it was an opportunity I wanted to pursue.
"I certainly don’t see this move as a promotion, but it brings a number of new challenges and I am incredibly honoured to be given the opportunity to coach the Australian Men’s team, especially having represented the team in the past as a player."
Walsh, who took the Australian Women's Sevens side from fifth to first in the world rankings, said his experience with the gold medal winning side would hold him in good stead for this new challenge.
"I am very proud of the world class program we delivered with the Women’s team," he said.
"We worked extremely hard to create a distinct style of play and a specific culture and identity for the team which proved successful.
"I also enjoyed the opportunity to coach the Men’s team during their Olympic qualification in a dual capacity role back in 2015 and I have always been passionate and kept an interested eye on the team.
"I believe winning consistently is well within reach for them."
Rugby Australia general manager high performance Ben Whitaker said the decision to appoint Walsh as coach was a difficult one.
"This was an incredibly difficult decision and obviously we had two high quality candidates for the role from within our own Sevens program in Tim and Andy (Friend)," he said.
"We very much hope that both remain within the organisation.
"Tim’s record with the Women’s team speaks for itself and we believe he has a considerable amount of proven Sevens expertise and offers a coaching style that can continue the progression made by the Men’s program and take performance to the highest level.
"He is a transformational leader and operates within a style that is process driven and performance-based.
"Tim has contributed a lot to the growth of Rugby Sevens in Australia and most importantly, he has delivered results on a consistent basis.
"We understand that the timing of Tim’s announcement is difficult, but both he and Andy were understandably seeking clarity on their future and out of respect to both men we have decided to conclude the process prior to the Commonwealth Games.
"Tim and Andy are absolute professionals and have their focus and energy firmly on the job at hand of winning Gold on the Gold Coast.
"They are both first class individuals and the way they have conducted themselves throughout this difficult period is testament to the character of both men."
