World Cup winner Jake White proposes to replace Michael Cheika

The former Brumbies coach, Jake White, contacted Rugby Australia (RA) to offer his services as a Wallabies coach. He will talk with the AR boss, Raelene Castle, during a phone call on Thursday night.

White, who has also offered his services to Japan as a substitute for Jamie Joseph after next year's World Cup, led South Africa to his 2007 World Cup triumph and coached in France and the United States. Japan since leaving the Brumbies in 2013.

His direct approach to Castle – and his willingness to speak with him – is the clearest sign for the moment that RA plans to move to the action of the less-than-wise coach, Michael Cheika.

But Fairfax Media also understands that RA has Scottish rugby director Scott Johnson in the lead, who is playing a similar role with the Wallabies as part of a revamped high performance model designed to make the test environment more cooperative.

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Cheika assistant coaches Stephen Larkham, Nathan Gray and Simon Raiwalui are reported to be under pressure.

Fairfax Media reported Monday that White and Johnson were playing a role with the Wallabies.

White, who is under contract with Japanese club Toyota Verblitz, lost to Ewen McKenzie in the race to replace Robbie Deans when the New Zealander resigned after defeating the 2013 series against the British and Irish Lions. In the same mold as Cheika, White is considered a coach who gets fast results with less performing teams. He guided South Africa to victory in the 2007 World Cup after forming an alignment comprising Eddie Jones as technical advisor.

Johnson, who has worked with Scottish head coach Gregor Townsend to turn the small test country into contenders for the Six Nations and World Cup in recent years, has been linked to a return to Australia for some time already. The former captain of New South Wales, who has spent the last 12 years abroad, has been targeted by RA to play a role in Queensland, but seems to have stood firm for something bigger.