Ewen McKenzie will be appointed as new Wallabies' rugby coach as early as tomorrow, according to reports out of Sydney tonight.
The record 41-16 defeat by the Lions over the Wallabies in the city on Saturday night will be the final act in Robbie Deans' controversial reign, as first revealed in the Herald on Sunday. Many will see the loss as the final straw but he would have been sacked even if Australia had won the third test and the series.
Deans' failure to get all of the disparate individuals involved in Australian rugby on board - in particular the talented but flawed Quade Cooper - will ultimately cost him his job. The 53-year-old had six months left on his contract.
Former Australia prop McKenzie's first major task will be to coach Australia against the All Blacks in a Rugby Championship match in Sydney on August 17.
The Australia Rugby Union are said to be keen to act now in order to give McKenzie enough time to mould a team for the 2015 World Cup. The Wallabies' last World Cup ended in a one-sided semifinal defeat at Eden Park at the hands of the All Blacks.