IT'S the great Australian coaching takeover.
England has taken the old adage of "if you can't beat them, join them" to its sporting nth degree over the past 12 months with Wayne Bennett the latest to join the old enemyafter he was appointed head coach of its Test rugby league side overnight.
Bennett joins rugby's Eddie Jones and cricket's Trevor Bayliss in the exodus, but that list goes on, with the pattern developing over many years. 
WAYNE BENNETT (rugby league) Australia and New Zealand have had the upper hand over England in league land for quite some time now, but with the Poms starting to build a formidable side, the last piece of the puzzle was a top coach to teach them how to win.
When it comes to top coaches, they don't come better than Bennett and overnight it was confirmed the Broncos mentor would be taking the reins until the 2017 World Cup.
Bennett succeeds Sydney Roosters assistant coach, Englishman Steve McNamara, and while the seven-time premiership coach's credentials speak for themselves, handing the clipboard to the enemy hasn't gone over well with everyone in the UK.
St Helens legend and former Great Britain hooker Keiron Cunningham was baffled by the Bennett appointment, citing several English candidates he thought were better placed to do the job, putting Leeds coach Brian McDermott at the head of the queue.
Former England captains Jamie Peacock and Kevin Sinfield have already criticised the move, insisting McNamara should have been reappointed for the 2017 World Cup, while Australian legend Wally Lewis has voiced his disapproval, saying an Australian should not be coaching an England team.
EDDIE JONES (rugby union) Bennett's appointment followed quickly on the heels of former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones taking over the Red Rose after their disastrous 2015 World Cup in their own backyard.
Jones remarkably led Japan to a shock victory over heavyweights South Africa in the pool stages of the World Cup, putting his name up in lights at the same time as England's Stuart Lancaster stumbled from one landmine to the next.
As with Bennett's appointment though, Jones was a controversial choice in England - a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures.
But things have become so dire in the English coaching ranks, Jones got support from the people that matter. People like England's World Cup winning coach Clive Woodward.
"For the first time in seven years England will actually have a coach in charge who has enjoyed success as a head coach. That is very positive and Eddie has my total support," Woodward said.
"Perhaps it does need an Australian to remind us what England rugby is all about.
" This could be a very exciting period for England." The first big test for Jones comes this weekend when the Six Nations kicks off and he's already making his mark, calling for England to embrace their "arrogant" tag, while also cautioning the media against expecting too much too soon.
TREVOR BAYLISS (cricket) While Jones took the English Rugby Union coaching job, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika was also sounded out for the role.
It was a similar scenario last year when the English cricket coaching job came up, with Jason Gillespie considered a leading candidate and well regarded Australian coach Trevor Bayliss taking the gig on the eve of a home Ashes series for his new side.
The England and Wales Cricket Board had previously hired a foreigner as coach after turning to Zimbabweans Duncan Fletcher and Andy Flower for successful stints in the role.
But the prospect of hiring an Aussie ahead of an Ashes series prompted a shocked reaction. Gillespie appeared the frontrunner after turning Yorkshire into county champions, but Bayliss took the role after having won the Sheffield Shield with NSW, the BBL title with the Sydney Sixers and the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as a stint coaching Sri Lanka.
He had been interviewed 18 months prior to being appointed after being identified by headhunters, but the ECB on that occasion instead opted for Moores.
And when they eventually did hire Bayliss they got instant pay-off, winning the Ashes back just a matter of months after the humiliation of a 5-0 hiding back in Australia.Despite beating his own country, Bayliss considers the Ashes win a career highlight.