The Waratahs have announced that Chris Hickey will take over as head coach after signing a three-year deal with the franchise.

The current Eastwood and former NSW A head coach has more than 14 years of first grade experience in Sydney and Canberra, where he has taken his sides to 11 Grand Finals and five Premierships.

NSW Rugby Union Chairman Arvid Petersen said Hickey's credentials, which also include two years at the helm of the Australian Under 21s, were the perfect qualifications for the role.

"Chris is a proven winner," said Petersen. "His record with Eastwood has simply been stunning and we believe he can build upon what is already an impressive foundation.

"Obviously there's a high standard to live up to, but Chris inherits a great set up, a great playing roster and the organisation will now work with him on getting his coaching team finalised for 2009.

"He's shown at a club level his ability to set up a fantastic program with limited resources and create a winning culture. At the Waratahs Chris will have all the resources he needs to bring that experience to a completely professional environment and further develop the program at NSW Rugby."

The application and interview process resulted in Hickey being recommended for the role, which was unanimously accepted by the NSW Rugby Board last night.

"We were very impressed with the applications we received and took ten applicants to the interview stage," said NSWRU Chief Executive Officer Jim L'Estrange. "We brought four back for a final interview and after that we settled on Chris Hickey being the candidate we would recommend to the Board following the completion of the Waratahs 2008 Super 14 campaign. The decision from the Board was unanimous.

"We used some great rugby minds in Michael Hawker, Matt Burke, Jeff Miller and Phil Waugh during the process, which makes us all the more confident we've made the right decision and can start looking forward to 2009 and beyond."

Hickey said he was thrilled to be given the opportunity to take charge of the 2008 Super 14 Finalists.

"This is special opportunity I've been given and I'm excited about the role," said Hickey. "Every professional Rugby coach in this state wants to have the opportunity to be the Waratahs coach.

"It's a big challenge, a big responsibility, but I know I'm ready and can't wait to get started.

"Obviously the team is in great shape, but the Super 14 is the toughest provincial Rugby competition in the world and there's a lot of work that needs to be put in between now and the start of 2009 to ensure the side remains at the top."

In addition to coaching the NSW A side in 2003, Hickey was at the helm of the Australian Under 21s in 2005 and 2006 where he oversaw the progress of a number of players now in the Waratahs squad.

"During those couple of World Champs we had Benn Robinson, Tatafu [Polota-Nau], Dean Mumm, Ben Mowen, Daniel Halangahu and Benny Batger who are all here at the Waratahs, plus probably 10 or 12 guys running around for other Super 14 franchises, so I'm familiar with a lot of the players.

"It also shows the pathways in Australian rugby to compete at the Super Rugby level are working well; having been a part of those at club, state and national level I have a lot of confidence in them.

"I'm confident too that we can continue to use those pathways to further enhance this squad, while maintaining what is already a winning culture amongst a talented group of players."

Hickey will formally start in the role on 1 July, and will work with Ewen McKenzie and General Manager High Performance Tony D'Arcy in a handover capacity over the coming month.