ACT BRUMBIES coach Laurie Fisher has emerged as a dark horse for Australia position after declaring his interest in the vacancy created by the sacking of Eddie Jones.
Fisher, who guided Australia Under-21 in 2003-2004, is highly regarded for his technical knowledge of the game.
Although the Brumbies did not reach the Super 12 semi-finals in his debut season as head coach this year, Fisher gained respect for keeping the team competitive despite a long injury list.
As forwards coach, Fisher contributed greatly to the Brumbies' title win in 2004 and he has a good rapport with the players.
"They (the ARU) haven't asked for applications but, when they do, I'll probably express some interest," Fisher said.
"I'd like to show them I do have some ambition. I'll go through the process and see what happens.
"Everybody wants to be the best they can be in their field. The Wallabies is the pinnacle.
"Ultimately, that's where you want to get to." Fisher said the Wallabies, which have lost eight of their past nine Tests, needed to start winning matches to build momentum for the 2007 World Cup in France.
"We have to be concerned about winning Tests in 2006 rather than 2007," Fisher said. "That will follow.
"You can't get confused about 2007 and worry about it. Confidence is a big part of it. You can't just say things will be right in 18 months."
Fisher said it was obvious the Wallabies had to improve their forward play in the set-piece and around the field.
"The scrum has been a significant issue in 2005 and we have to take the scrum forward and our capacity to get over the advantage line and release good, quick ball," he said.
"We need to develop a capacity to play a pick-and-drive game and to attack around the ruck rather than just off 10 (five-eighth) and wider all the time."
New South Wales Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie is still regarded as the odds-on favourite to coach the Wallabies.
McKenzie did a great job in changing the Waratahs culture and guiding them to the Super 12 final this year.
But since the resignation of ARU (and former NSWRU) chairman Dilip Kumar on Thursday, McKenzie's appointment is no longer seen as a fait accompli.
Former Brumbies coach David Nucifora, who will lead Auckland Blues in the Super 14 series next year, has expressed interest in coaching Australia.
But perhaps the strongest challenge to McKenzie will come from Wales' Australian skills coach Scott Johnson, who is well regarded by both Rod Macqueen and Simon Poidevin, who are on the three-man panel which will recommend a coach to the ARU board early next year.
Johnson, an influential figure behind the scenes during Wales' revival in the past 18 months, is being chased by several teams.
Wales are extremely keen to retain Johnson, who has also had offers from English club Leicester and Queensland Reds.
Leicester has denied offering Johnson a pound stg. 300,000 ($703,560) deal to move to Welford Road, but he is the club's preferred candidate.
The English club, which has been coached by Australian Pat Howard in recent years, wants an answer from Johnson by Christmas, while Wales is also pressing him for a reply.
"We need to know sooner rather than later," Wales coach Mike Ruddock said.
"I had a chat with him on Tuesday and I will be sitting down and talking to him about it. I look forward to catching up with him and getting into a bit of detail.
"I can see why he is being chased from many quarters. He is a brilliant coach." Additional reporting: AFP
The Australian
