That's the opinion of ex-All Blacks and Canterbury Crusaders halfback Justin Marshall as the hunt begins for Jake White's replacement.

Assistant coaches Stephen Larkham and Laurie Fisher are the two leading contenders, but the Brumbies haven't ruled out widening their net in search of the candidate most capable to lead them to their first championship since 2004.

Former Brumby Jim Williams is interested in the position, while Deans is uncontracted after stepping down from the Wallabies after this year's series loss to the British and Irish Lions.

Marshall played under Deans at the Crusaders and was a part of their championship-winning teams in 2000, 2002 and 2005.

Deans also took the Crusaders to the title in 2006 and 2008.

''From my experience in the time he coached me and what he did with the Crusaders, he's an extremely successful coach,'' Marshall said. ''Good coaches don't become bad coaches just because they have been moved on, and he definitely falls under the category of being a great coach.

''I still think he's got plenty to offer whatever team he does coach.''

Deans endured mixed success with the Wallabies during his 5½ years in charge. While he led them to a Rugby Championship title, Deans was criticised for poor performances against the All Blacks.

The Wallabies have continued to struggle under Ewen McKenzie as off-field issues involving key players take centre stage.

''What Robbie did with Australia, he probably didn't get enough credit for,'' Marshall said.

''It seems like a very difficult group to manage. Robbie was reasonably successful, but the one thing he couldn't do was beat the All Blacks, but there's not many teams who are doing that at the moment.''

Marshall said Deans knows how to develop a good culture and would be beneficial to a Brumbies side coming off a grand final appearance. ''They've got a player base there and some talent that he would only enhance,'' Marshall said. ''He understands the needs of players and understands how to improve them.

''More importantly, he's competitive and wants to win.''

The Brumbies will have a sub-committee including chief executive Andrew Fagan, chairman Sean Hammond, Cricket Australia high-performance manager Pat Howard and foundation captain Brett Robinson to cast an eye over the coaching candidates.

Fagan said the board would not be rushed into a decision and was comfortable with Larkham and Fisher overseeing the start of pre-season training in the middle of next month if a head coach hadn't been appointed by then.

''We need to decide what are all the factors we need to consider and that will help to gauge the applicants we wish to consider for the role,'' Fagan said.

''At that point, we'll start to engage with those people and ultimately make a determination.''

Fisher coached the Brumbies from 2005 to 2008 and also had a stint with Irish club Munster before working under White for the past two seasons.

Larkham - one of the greatest five-eighths in the modern era - has served a three-year coaching apprenticeship at the Brumbies after playing a leading role in the club's two Super Rugby titles in 2001 and 2004.

White has applied for a director of rugby position at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.