Robbie Deans' reign as the first non-Australian Wallabies head coach is over, his contract terminated before its end of year expiry date after the British and Irish Lions swept to a series victory in Sydney on Saturday night.



Deans was told his 74-test tenure - the longest in Australian Rugby Union history - was over during discussions with chief executive Bill Pulver today.



Ewen McKenzie, an unsuccessful candidate when Deans was appointed to the role after the 2007 World Cup, will be unveiled as his successor tomorrow.



McKenzie has been a prime candidate for the position since announcing in March he was leaving his current role as director of rugby at the Queensland Reds at the end of the season in a bid to coach at international level.



Instead the opportunity has arisen closer to home for the 51-cap Wallabies prop, who was preferred ahead of current Brumbies coach and South Africa's 2007 World Cup-winning coach Jake White.



White's nationality and a conservative game plan likely counted against him, particularly as the first experiment to appoint a foreign coach will be regarded as a failure.



McKenzie's rebuild of the previously shambolic Reds since 2010, and his embracing of a expansive style of play centred on Will Genia and Quade Cooper, was always likely to sway an ARU committee tasked with assessing Deans' successor.



Queensland won their first Super Rugby title in 2011, a drastic improvement after the franchise placed in the bottom three during the six seasons before McKenzie arrived.



Two of Deans' five Super Rugby triumphs came at McKenzie's expense when he was coaching the NSW Waratahs but since his move north via Stade Francais the Australian's stocks have risen.



Deans, meanwhile, has had a largely frustrating time since his Wallabies debut against Ireland in June, 2008.



Winning his first Bledisloe Cup test against the All Blacks six weeks later was a high point of his stint, but the 29-point loss at Eden Park seven days later was sadly indicative of his fluctuating fortunes.



Maintaining consistency was an ever-present issue as Deans realised the player depth and quality was not as extensive as the personnel he had access to at Canterbury, the Crusaders and All Blacks.



An appalling three win, one draw and 14 loss record against the All Blacks will be a permanent blight on his resume - likewise losses to Samoa and consecutive defeats to Scotland.



Ireland's pool play win at the 2011 World Cup placed the Wallabies on a collision course with the All Blacks in the semi-finals, another galling experience for Deans as his side was humbled by the eventual champions.



Pulver had said Deans, who had his contract controversially extended for two years before the World Cup, would see out his term with the end of year tour to the UK, Ireland and France.



However, the 41-16 loss to the Lions at ANZ Stadium sealed his fate as Kiwi compatriot Warren Gatland was lauded for ending a three-series losing sequence.



Deans, who was secured by Pulver's predecessor John O'Neil, finished with a record of 43 wins 29 losses and two draws - a success rate of 58.1 per cent.



On a positive note Deans was responsible for introducing a new generation of Wallabies to the test arena, notably Will Genia, David Pocock, Kurtley Beale, James O'Connor and Quade Cooper.



While Genia and Pocock have established themselves as model professionals, the other trio have been problematic - and contributed to Deans' downfall.



Exiling Cooper after his "toxic environment" claims last September proved unpopular with supporters of the inconsistent playmaker and the criticism intensified when O'Connor was generally ineffectual at pivot in the Lions series.



O'Connor's disruptive friendship with Beale also brought Deans' ability to control his players under scrutiny.



Already renowned for bucking authority, the talented though ill-disciplined duo were photographed at a fast food restaurant in Melbourne at 4am, three days before the second test.



Then, after claiming they had learnt their lesson, they missed a team bus to training last Thursday.



Ironically O'Connor's future is also in doubt now after the Melbourne Rebels yesterday announced they would not extend his contract.



The Rebels naming today of Deans' former assistant Tony McGahan as Damien Hill's replacement as head coach was the first indication that the former All Black fullback and coach was not going to survive a post-Lions review process.



McKenzie would have been a contender for the Rebels role but instead inherits the job he turned down in 2005 to gain more experience at the Waratahs.



He is expected to lead the Wallabies through to the 2015 World Cup in England, though his initial priority is preparing the team for the Rugby Championship opener against the All Blacks at the scene of Deans' demise on August 17.



McKenzie's brief for 2013 is presumably the same as Deans' assignment: ownership of the Bledisloe Cup for the first since 2003 and the continuation of recent dominance over the Springboks.



Watching the Lions emphatic victory gave McKenzie an indication of how difficult that task should be after the Wallabies scrum his forte - was on shifting sands from the first engagement.



First five-eighth is also an issue, though McKenzie's ability to extract the best out of Cooper should guarantee his test recall and first test against the All Blacks since the 22-0 thrashing in Auckland 12 months earlier.