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Report: Michael Cheika's fate decided after board meeting
By Online Editors
According to reports, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika will keep his job despite Australian rugby suffering through their worst international season in 60 years.
The Daily Telegraph revealed on Thursday night that Cheika will remain with the team, but former Wallabies assistant Scott Johnson will join the setup in a role above Cheika before next year’s Rugby World Cup.
The Telegraph said an announcement would be made confirming the news next week.
Johnson was an assistant with the Wallabies for their 2007 World Cup campaign, but has not coached since 2014 when he was in charge of Scotland on an interim basis and is reportedly more interested in an advisory role.
Cheika met with the Rugby Australia board on Monday and chairman Cameron Clyne said a decision would come before Christmas in a brief press conference.
“We obviously received a presentation from Michael Cheika and we’re going through a process, so I’m not really in a position to elaborate,” Clyne said.
Cheika has not made any comments since returning home.
The 51-year-old has been in charge of the Australian national side since 2014, taking over for Ewen McKenzie just one year out from the Rugby World Cup, where he eventually led the side to the final.
Cheika began his coaching career in Italy before returning home to Australia to coach his former club Randwick. He oversaw Leinster in Ireland and Stade Francais in France between 2005 and 2012 before again returning to Australia, winning a Super Rugby title with the New South Wales Waratahs in 2014.
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Latest Comments
But he chose rightly or wrongly to play for Tonga. If he wanted to play for the ABs why didn’t he hold off?
Go to comments“A succession of recent ex-players going straight back into the game as coaches in their early 40’s would prob be enough to kill it stone-dead. Innovation would die a death.”
Would it? I do think one of the major differences between rugby and most other sports - which we’ve been overlooking - is the degree to which players are expected to lead team meetings & analysis sessions and the like. Someone like Owen Farrell has basically been an assistant coach already for ten years - and he’s been so under a variety of different head coaches with different expectations and playing styles.
“The most interesting ppl I have met in the game have all coached well into their sixties and they value the time and opportunity they have had to reflect and therefore innovate in the game. That’s based on their ability to compare and contrast between multiple eras.”
I don’t doubt that that’s true. But having interesting insights doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be the best able to inspire a team, or the best at managing the backroom staff.
“Wayne Smith winning the WWC in his mid sixties three years ago prob means nothing to you but it meant a lot to him. It took him back to the roots of is own coaching journey.”
I don’t doubt that! But I don’t think coaches should be hired on the basis that it means a lot to them.
“The likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Wayne Bennett and Andy Reid all have a tale to tell. You should open your ears and listen to it!”
I agree! Never have I ever suggested otherwise!
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