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The Wallaby world has been brightened by the signing of skills coach Mick Byrne for the next four years.
The appointment will have far reaching ramifications, even more so than the signings of head coach Michael Cheika, attack coach Stephen Larkham, defence coach Nathan Grey, or forwards coach Mario Ledesman.
For the last 11 years, the 57-year-old Sydney-born Byrne has been the skills coach for the mighty All Blacks, and been widely acclaimed for making the best rugby team in the world even better with successive World Cups.
There are facets of play where the Wallabies are sadly lacking – the basic skills of passing, catching, support play, and defence.
It’s a terrible indictment, but those basic skills the Wallabies lack are endemically below standard.
But as of next week, the highly popular and highly respected Byrne will be full-time with the Wallabies as they set out to retain the Rugby Championship.
So how did an AFL ruckman become a rugby skills coach?
Byrne played 167 AFL games between 1977 and 1989 for Melbourne (56), Hawthorn (90), and the Swans (21), kicking 150 goals.
He was an integral member of the Hawthorn premiership team in 1983.
When he hung up his boots, he found a niche as a kicking coach, using his 200cm frame to advantage.
But it was soon crystal clear Byrne had a lot more to offer than just leather on leather, he had many more skills that suited rugby.
After successful stints in England and Scotland, the Aussie landed the plumb job with the All Blacks, and 11 years with one of the greatest teams in sport followed.
He turned down the All Blacks despite being offered a lucrative contract to move closer to family in Brisbane.
You would think the Wallabies would have mastered basic skills on the way to international status.
Not so.
Nor had the All Blacks to the skill level of today, but they have, thanks to Mike Byrne.
The icing on the cake, it’s very obvious Mike Byrne and Michael Cheika get on famously, judging by their appearances together on Fox’s “Rugby 360” programme.
The programme is ordinary, but Byrne and Cheika are such outstanding kindred spirits talking so many positives as to make it worth watching.
So the Wallaby future, which looked rather bleak after losing 3-0 to England, has suddenly become a whole lot brighter.