FRESH off a plane from France, Waratahs great Chris Whitaker has been thrown in the deep end as he begins his Australian coaching career with the Sydney Rays this weekend.

The 43-year-old former Wallabies halfback is back in town after an eight year stint coaching in Europe.

A member of the 1999 Rugby World Cup-winning Wallabies, Whitaker is head coach of the National Rugby Championship’s Rays as well as signing on as an assistant for the Waratahs next season.

He initially worked alongside Michael Cheika at Stade Francais in 2012-13 before taking the reins of Montauban in France’s second division, almost gaining them promotion to the Top 14 last season.

Whitaker told foxsports.com.au that his biggest challenge at Montauban was maintaining a coherent environment in a team where 30 per cent of the players were from overseas.

“The big thing over there is how to bring the group together with so many different nationalities and cultures… you’ve got some guys who can’t speak French,” Whitaker said.

“(The French) play a lot more set-piece and it’s a lot more confrontational in terms of the contact… down here it’s a lot more aimed at speed and entertainment.

“It’s quite different to what you’ve got here in Australia.”

After arriving back in Australia two weeks ago, Whitaker is preparing the Rays for their first match against the Vikings on Saturday at Sydney’s Concord Oval.

The Rays and NSW Country Eagles both had a first round bye with many of their players still involved in the Shute Shield and colts competitions.

Whitaker has his work cut out to bring the team together in what is a last minute scramble.

“It’s a short preparation… last night (Tuesday) was the first time we had them all together.

“We’ve really only had two training sessions — Tuesday and Thursday this week.

“It’s going to be hard to put everything in place for this first week, but I think the boys are enthusiastic and they’re keen to play.”

The Greater Sydney Rams were cut from the NRC this season as NSW looked to reignite the traditional City v Country rivalry that was a foundation of a very competitive rugby scene in the 1980s.

A new navy blue Rays jersey is a continuation of that rebirth and Whitaker strongly appreciates the sentiment.

“What we’re going to try and do is tap into that history and just refresh the boys,” he said.

“There’s a lot of history involved in the jumper… It’s a pretty special jumper.”

Whitaker’s tough task will be helped by the presence of Waratahs hooker Damien Fitzpatrick as his Rays captain, while Curtis Rona, Jack Dempsey, Michael Wells, Cam Clark and Mitch Short are others with Super Rugby and international experience.

“We’ve got a good mix of guys who are contracted with the Waratahs, and guys who performed in the Shute Shield all year and then also we’ve got a couple of young guys,” Whitaker said.

One of those youngsters is John Folau, the younger brother of Wallabies star Israel.

Folau, a hulking 23-year-old winger who has played eight NRL games, has recently switched codes in a bid to follow his brother into the big time.

“He picked up things quite easily; he was asking questions and getting involved with everything… he didn’t look out of place,” Whitaker said of his new recruit.

“Last night was his first training session, so it’s a bit early to make a call on it, but hopefully by tomorrow night (Thursday) we’ll see whether he’s going to start or not (against the Vikings).”

Despite the limited preparation, Whittaker is adamant that the talent in his squad will make them more than competitive this season.

Canberra kicked off their season with a 45-35 loss to Queensland Country last weekend.

“At training last night we had two guys that played in the grand final for colts and then there was another one that played in the semifinal, so it’s a good mix of young and old,” Whitaker said.

“They’re keen to play some good rugby, so hopefully the results follow that.”

While the NRC is his first priority, Whitaker also has ambitions to help pilot the Waratahs back to the top of Super Rugby after signing two year contract to support Daryl Gibson.

The Waratahs were beaten semifinalists this season.

“Talking to the players and staff, they were disappointed they didn’t go any further than they did,” Whitaker said.

“There are strong ambitions here to get to as far as they can and to compete with the best.”

RAYS SQUAD: Damien Fitzpatrick (c), Rory O’Connor, Matt Sandell, JP Sauni, David Vea, Shambeckler Vui, Cameron Betham, Connor Vest, Nick Palmer, Hugh Sinclair, Ryan McCauley, Jack Dempsey, Lachlan Swinton, Michael Wells, Josh Kemeny, Maclean Jones, Jack Johnson, Mitch Short, Nick Duffy, Theo Strang, Will Harrison, Stu Dunbar, Enoka Muliufi, Harry Burey, Lalakai Foketi, Curtis Rona, Pama Fou, Latu Latunipulu, James Ramm, Cameron Clark, Tim Clements, Tyson Davis, Guy Porter, John Folau

NRC ROUND TWO DRAW
Saturday 8 September
Fiji Drua v Brisbane City, Lautoka, Churchill Park, 3.00pm, streamed LIVE on FOX SPORTS

Sydney v Canberra Vikings, Sydney, Concord Oval, 3.00pm, LIVE on FOX SPORTS

Sunday 9 September
Queensland Country v Melbourne Rising, Townsville, Mike Carney Park, 3.00pm, LIVE on FOX SPORTS

Western Force v NSW Country Eagles, Perth, UWA Sports Park, 3.00pm, streamed LIVE on FOX SPORTS