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Michael Cheika turns table on Eddie Jones in coaching head-to-heads
By Ian Cameron
Los Pumas boss Michael Cheika achieved a significant milestone as a head coach by securing just his second victory over an Eddie Jones coached side.
Los Pumas, under Cheika's guidance since replacing Mario Ledesma last year, orchestrated a sensational last-minute triumph of 34-31 against the Wallabies in Sydney during the Rugby Championship. It marked the first time ever that Argentina clinched back-to-back wins against Australia.
The win not only showcased Los Pumas' improvements but was a sweet redemption for Cheika, who previously faced a string of defeats against Jones' England during his tenure as Wallabies' head coach. Now at the helm of the Argentinians, Cheika has managed to defeat his old sparring partner twice in a row, suggesting he now possesses the whip hand in the relationship.
With the Rugby World Cup on the horizon, there is a prospect of a potential rematch between the two teams in the quarterfinals in France. However, Cheika remained level-headed after the final whistle, preferring to focus on the present and the team's immediate challenges rather than looking too far ahead.
“Every game in itself is a new game. I mean, there’s a lot of teams that we haven’t been able to beat yet that we are still going to have to beat in that [World Cup] environment,” said the former Wallabies coach.
“But it’s [the win] good for the improvements, great for the boys.
“All of the team and the staff have been putting in a lot of hours over this last bit and it’s nice for them to get this reward.”
“It was like a landmark, it was one of the few times we have been able to get a win against a team of this level, when we haven’t been at our best either,” said Cheika.
“But we were able to manufacture a win. There was a lot of good improvements from last week, which is what I wanted,” he added, referring to their 12-41 thrashing by New Zealand on home soil.
“No matter what would have happened with the result in the end, I was pretty pleased with the changes. Hopefully, we can continue that into the weeks coming.
“We were a bit ill-disciplined in the first half which cost us, we made a few bad decisions. But they are things that as we move along and stay together we will improve.”
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Go to comments“Slot and Arteta are among the youngest you named. They have the least experience as a manager (6 years each). Espírito Santo and Pep are the oldest and have the most (12 years + each). Pep is pushing 17 years experience, all at elite level. There are plenty around his age that won’t have the same level of experience. Plenty.”
ok - so you agree. Experience is strongly correlated with age among the managers I named.
“Test rugby has no clear pattern of that.”
I agree. Different sports are different and patterns evident in one won’t necessarily be reproduced in others.
“Why would you dismiss a paradox? Contradictions are often revealing. Or is that too incoherent?”
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