The Tuggeranong Vikings will scramble to find a suitable replacement for outgoing coach Tim Sampson, who has signed a deal lead a Western Force revival in Perth.
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As revealed by Fairfax Media this week, Sampson has joined forces with billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest to take the reins at the Force in April in the lead up to the Indo-Pacific Rugby Championship.
It leaves Tuggeranong without a coach for the Canberra first-grade competition and the Canberra Vikings will be searching for a new National Rugby Championship leader.
Given the timing so close to the season, the Vikings might struggle to find the right candidate for the John I Dent Cup, which starts in less than two months.
Former Vikings skipper Gareth Clouston and long-time assistant Bryce McNicols have been Sampson's offsiders and could take on the job in an interim role.
"It's all come pretty quickly in the last week and a half," said Vikings president Brendan Allardyce.
"That's OK because we like to see our staff and coaches progress to higher levels. Tim goes with our blessing, but it's a little bit different because it's happening in March.
"It was just too good of an opportunity for him, and we're not in the business of holding people back."
Sampson says its imperative to keep rugby afloat in the west in the hope Rugby Australia decides to break away from SANZAAR and create a new competition beyond 2020.
The Force won't compete in Super Rugby, but they will play a series of matches throughout the year, understood to be against the likes of the Crusaders, Rebels, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
The IPRC is yet to get a final tick of approval from Rugby Australia.
With Australia now fielding one less Super Rugby team, there is plenty of interest to see what happens when SANZAAR's broadcast agreement expires at the end of 2020.
"Certainly I think it's very important that rugby in Western Australia continues at the highest level throughout the pathways and junior rugby," Sampson said. "If there's vision for the Western Force to be apart of that new agreement and new competition, then I'm sure the people over in Western Australia would be rapt.
"It's hugely important and in the best interest of Australian rugby. It's great that there's been some support from Rugby Australia in terms of what the Western Force is trying to do. It [support in Western Australia] must continue, that's the bottom line."
A former Queensland Reds representative, Sampson retired in 2007 and began his coaching career at Sunnybank in Brisbane before ending up at the Vikings.
