Former Wallabies Stephen Larkham and Nathan Grey have been confirmed as Wallabies coach Michael Cheika's assistants leading into the World Cup.

Larkham and Grey will both continue in their provincial roles at the Brumbies and Waratahs, respectively, while Cheika continues his search for a fulltime forwards coach. World Cup-winning prop Andrew Blades has left the role after three years, the Australian Rugby Union said. Larkham is currently head coach at the Brumbies while Grey is an assistant to Cheika at the Waratahs.

Backs guru and Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham. Credit:Jay Cronan

The role of set piece guru is the only remaining piece of the coaching and management puzzle left unresolved, and arguably the most important leading into the Wallabies most difficult World Cup campaign in years.

"At this level, it's crucial that you have the best people and best possible high-performance program in place if you are going to deliver winning performances for the Wallabies," Cheika said.