The Waratahs are looking to finalise their head coaching appointment as soon as possible, while new Director of Performance Simon Raiwalui is ready to show Taniela Tupou "some love" in the hope of luring the Wallabies prop to Sydney.
Raiwalui was on Friday morning confirmed to return to his hometown in a role that will oversee both the Waratahs' men's and women's coaches, so too academy and junior pathways.
While Raiwalui won't officially commence his duties until September - he has to finish up his current role with World Rugby - the 49-year-old has already been brought in on the hunt for Darren Coleman's replacement.
"Yeah as part of my new role, two days may it be, I've already been in a meeting about coaching options and we've got some very good options in place... it will be part of my role finding the best candidate and the support staff around him, or her, or whoever it might be," he told reporters on Friday morning.
"So we are looking for a world-class team to take the team forward and we'll update you pretty quickly with what the options are."
With Michael Cheika already snapped up by Leicester, the Waratahs coaching race is believed to be a race in two between the man the former Wallabies boss has replaced at the Premiership club, Dan McKellar, and Dave Rennie's former Australia assistant Scott Wisemantel.
Raiwalui admitted the Waratahs could ill-afford to waste any more time, with the franchise's ability to recruit players being made more difficult by the fact the team was still without a coach for next year.
"There is definitely urgency there," he said. "My job doesn't officially start for two months but I will be in the role from day one, I've already been contacting certain players, certain staff, just giving them a level of comfort, recruits, just trying to make things a smooth transition when I come into the job officially. I do get the sense of urgency and it is urgent at the moment."
While the Waratahs missed out on talented Rebels lock Josh Canham, the likes of Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto are yet to find new homes following the demise of the Melbourne club.
While Salakaia-Loto is tipped to join Canham in Queensland, Leota and Tupou, in particular, would be a welcomed addition to a Waratahs pack that has lost Wallabies Ned Hanigan and Lachie Swinton, and potentially Jed Holloway, and also suffered a horrendous injury toll in the front-row in 2024.
Raiwalui said he had already spoken with players on the open market, the former Fiji coach sure to lean on his existing relationship with Tupou in particular in a bid to lure him to Sydney.
"It's going to be very important, there are a couple of players I've already had conversations with, but I won't give you their names," he said. "They're very important to what I see as our success, the Waratahs' success, what we need in terms of players to put a spine in place for the team to have success.
"So there's some certain players, there's not as many as you probably think there would be.
"It would be very nice, it would be very nice [to sign Tupou]. Taniela's a great young man and he needs a home where someone can show him some love. And if he is available, we'll chat to him."
With the Waratahs now under the stewardship of Rugby Australia as part of the governing body's centralization agreement, Raiwalui's recruitment has been widely applauded as another piece of good business.
Having overseen Fiji's stunning 21-15 victory over Australia at last year's Rugby World Cup, Raiwalui is now on the other side of the coin.
After a year of turmoil, Raiwalui feels as though Rugby Australia has finally brought a halt to the chaos, the former Manly Marlins forward also predicting the Wallabies would surprise a few people under new coach Joe Schmidt.
"At the moment it's a little bit in transition, Australian rugby, and they've made some really great recruits in Peter Horne and Joe Schmidt and those guys coming in, so there's some real stability for the first time in probably three or four years," Raiwalui said.
"What Australian rugby needs is that stability and growth from schoolboys through to colts, through to grade, up through Super, then once you've got a stable system you've got success. And at the moment there has been a bit of de-linkage between the different sectors, but we're really working on that alignment through the programs, whether it be state or international or club, we're looking for that alignment.
"And I think with some of the recruitments that Rugby Australia has made, and the different unions have made, we're on a good track at the moment. Obviously results are going to be a huge thing, we've got a Wallabies [season] coming up, but I've got a heap of faith in Joe. He's one of the great coaches, one of the great men, Peter Horne as well, just leading that squad, and I think they are going to surprise some people with some of their results."