Former All Black takes over as head Waratahs coach

Daryl Gibson will be the head coach of the Waratahs. File photo / NZ Herald

Former All Blacks midfielder Daryl Gibson will take over as Waratahs coach next season, the first foreign head coach of the Super Rugby.

In his third year as the Waratahs' attack coach, Gibson will take over from Michael Cheika next season when the Wallabies coach focuses solely on the national team.

Gibson, who played 19 tests for the All Blacks, began his coaching career at the Glasgow Warriors in 2007 before spending three seasons as an assistant under Todd Blackadder at the Crusaders and being lured across the Tasman by Cheika in 2012. Waratahs chief executive Greg Harris said Gibson's appointment on a three-year deal was "the worst-kept secret in the game".

"Daryl has been an integral part of the creation of a culture which the club is now identified by, and his appointment will ensure that the players can build on the positive foundation which has been established by Michael Cheika," Harris said.

"Whilst this is Daryl's first head coaching appointment, he has played under - and coached with - several highly credentialed coaches including Wayne Smith, Steve Hansen, Todd Blackadder, and Robbie Deans.

"He brings an incredible wealth of football knowledge and experience to the position and is very much a values and culture-driven coach - which is what the selection panel was also very impressed with."

The 40-year-old said he was looking forward to building on the successful culture and strong foundation Cheika had established at the Waratahs.

"I'm very proud to be appointed to this role," Gibson said.

"It has been a privilege to coach under Michael and help him to create the club culture and identity over the past few seasons.

"The selection process for this role has been extremely rigorous and I'm really looking forward to working with Greg to shore up our player roster and plan for the next three years.

"I'm very aware of the tasks we have in front of us to achieve success this season, so we will be sharing the focus on both current and future challenges."

- AAP