Cheika: 'Am I satisfied in the end? No'
Regrets? He’s got a few – but Michael Cheika otherwise has the fondest of memories from his five years as Wallabies coach.
Typically honest to a fault, Cheika has peeled back the layers to reveal the softer side that only those closest to him – including hard-core rugby journalists who’ve been in the trenches WITH him and not (as he often sees it) necessarily AGAINST HIM.
WATCH: Jim Hamilton sat down with Saracens and England player, Billy Vunipola on today’s episode of “The Lockdown”.
“Am I satisfied in the end, mate? No, because I wanted to win a Bledisloe and the World Cup,” Cheika said on Fox League.
“I wasn’t able to do that and that hurts me, personally, because I really value the supporter on the street and I know that’s what they want. I see them.
“When you’re coaching your national team, it’s very different to club footy. No.1, you’re not a recruiter, you’re a selector.
“So the next thing you really feel, the day after the game … all the kids, even the people who aren’t rugby people – because you’re representing Australia – they’re feeling ho w you played the night before.
“You have a big win, everyone’s pumped. You go for recovery, they’re all high-fiving ya – (saying) ‘good on ya’.
“Then the next (game) – I see it in my own family; you know, the kids, they’re all dressed in their jerseys and then the next morning, if we lose, they’re unhappy.
“So I feel it in my own family.”
Happily – but hastily – thrown in to the hot seat following Ewen McKenzie’s dramatic departure in 2014, Cheika endured a rollercoaster five-year tenure.
World Rugby’s coach of the year after guiding the unfancied Wallabies to the World Cup final in 2015, then belittled on the other side of the Tasman the next (remember those pretty poor clown caricature jokes from New Zealand?)
He was also often harshly treated by World Rugby officials.
Yet Cheika – the survivor and proud immigrant hard-worker, has emerged from his tumultuous tenure with impressive dignity after falling on his sword fol lowing Australia’s World Cup quarter-final exit in Japan last October.
“Honoured. Grateful,” he said when asked of his abiding memories as Wallabies coach.
“For a kid like me, to think that he’d have the opportunity to coach the Wallabies, I would have never imagined. I’ve always been a sort of an outsider in rugby, outside of the establishment.
“So to get that opportunity – and to consider the circumstances that we’ve had going on in Australian rugby the last five years – we’ve always represented with maximum courage.
“Sometimes we weren’t at our best, sometimes we had to have terrible halves, had to make comebacks and we had some great wins as well.
“Even 2019, we had a great win over New Zealand in Perth.”
Cheika, now an assistant coach at the Sydney Roosters under long-time friend Trent Robinson, conceded the Wallabies lacked consistency during his tenure – but rightfully offered some explanations for that.
“At the end of the day, the Wallabies are a result of our preparations in Super Rugby and they’ve been difficult because we’ve had a lot going on,” he said.
“Whether it was Perth (with the Western Force’s demise in 2017) on the outside and then players going overseas etcetera and the format of the competition.
“But then when the guys got together, I think they really played hard for Australia every single time.
“I’m the first to know that that’s not perfect, but (I’m) always proud to be a part of that, some of the great wins and also for being there after some of the losses … being able to get the team back up.
“In coaching right now, you’ve got to be a professional at being able to turn negatives into a positive and that was something I really loved doing with those lads because they responded a lot.
“I think a lot of them played above their potential for where they are in their cycle.”
AAP
Comments on RugbyPass
Yes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
34 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to comments