Former Leinster star set to join Castres staff

Castres head coach, former Ireland and Lions lock Jeremy Davidson, has turned to Chris Whitaker to fill his vacant attack coach job at the Stade Pierre-Fabre next season.

Midi Olympique are reporting that ex-Leinster and Wallaby scrum-half Whitaker, 49, who is the NSW Waratahs attack coach, is going to replace David Darricarrère, who is dropping down into the Pro D2 to join Brive next season.

Whitaker, George Gregan’s Wallabies understudy, retired after helping Leinster in 2009 to go into coaching. Davidson, who himself has another year left to run on his deal, is set to hand Whitaker a one-year contract.

Sydney-born Whitaker is a familiar face in French rugby after coaching under Michael Cheika at Stade Francais and then under legendary Wallaby lock Justin Harrison at Narbonne for a couple of years.

In 2016, he moved to Montauban, where he was co-head-coach for two years before returning home to Australia to coach the Sydney Rays in the National Rugby Championship.

He started his coaching career at Leinster, joined the Waratahs as an assistant coach ahead of the 2019 Super Rugby season, and, in March 2021, became interim head coach with Jason Gilmore following the sacking of Rob Penney.

Whitaker, who was part of the Wallabies squads at the 1999 and 2003 World Cups, was an unused replacement as Jonny Wilkinson’s extra-time drop goal earned England a 20-17 victory at Sydney’s Stade Australia.

He stayed on the Waratahs staff when Darren Coleman took over but is now looking to move on and has spoken to Davidson, who had been linked with moves to bring former players Sébastien Tillous-Borde and Jean-Marc Aué back to the club.