Former Ireland flyhalf Ronan O'Gara, the head coach of French club La Rochelle, has thrown his hat in the ring for the job, while Australian Super Rugby coaches Les Kiss, Dan McKellar and Stephen Larkham are all considered to be in the frame.
Former Australian boss Michael Cheika met with Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh on Tuesday, raising speculation he is among candidates to succeed Joe Schmidt at the helm of the Wallabies.
Schmidt will end his reign as Wallabies coach in October after this year's Rugby Championship, dashing local hopes the highly-regarded New Zealander would stay on until the 2027 World Cup.
Rugby Australia (RA) declined to comment on the meeting but Waugh said in a statement that the governing body had made a targeted shortlist and received a high level of interest from "quality candidates around the world".
The Australian was in charge of the national team for 68 tests from 2014-19, before leaving the role in acrimony after the Wallabies crashed out of the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter finals in Japan.
