‘Could I do it?’: Michael Cheika reveals thinking behind Waratahs return

NSW Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has revealed the questions he asked himself after being offered the chance to return, 12 years after leading the club to its maiden Super Rugby title on a famous night in the Harbour City.

It’s been an eventful few months for Cheika, who was announced as the next Waratahs coach on August 18. The coach then helped guide the Sydney Roosters to NRL glory and took charge of Lebanon during the Rugby League World Cup.

Lebanon claimed a dramatic golden point win over France last weekend, but Cheika has already stepped into the Waratahs role. Cheika fronted media on Wednesday morning in Sydney, sporting a Tahs pin and flanked by his two new assistant coaches.

Stephen Hoiles and Wycliff Palu were part of Cheika’s Waratahs that won Super Rugby 12 years ago, and will now play an integral role in the team’s newest era. Cheika returns to the New South Wales club with a wealth of experience across two codes.

“Immediately, I didn’t think, ‘Oh should I do this? Should I not do it?’ Immediately I started thinking, what would I do? If I did that, what would I do? I suppose that’s the [history] of coaching,” Cheika told reporters.

“What would I need to do? And then could I do it? Because there’s no point coming back to do the job, you’ve got to… come to the team, to take them where you want to take them. How would I do that? And could I do that? Am I able to do that? Have I got the ability to do that?

“Once I started asking myself those questions, the decisions became relatively easy.”

Hoiles joins Cheika’s coaching staff after spending some time in Major League Rugby, recently leading California Legion to the championship game. Palu is another notable addition, having recently returned to Australia from Japan.

Cheika’s new-look Waratahs coaching group will oversee a playing roster that includes new recruits like Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps, who were part of the 2014 championship-winning side. Angus Crichton is also switching codes after becoming a three-time NRL premiership player.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Max Jorgensen are two regular Wallabies starters in the squad. Angus Bell is another, with the loosehead prop returning to the Waratahs after spending one season in the URC with Irish side Ulster.

“I’m big on character and the importance of character inside of the team, inside of the people who support the team as well,” Cheika explained.

“I’d like that to be a really strong theme inside of the team because… that builds a good environment to be here. That then naturally shows itself on the field. That’s where supporters get to see us by how we play, not by what we do on a picture or in a video, they see us for who we are on the field, so who we are off the field as a group of people is really important.

“People who understand what it takes, cause it’s not easy, and then have also got the character to help bring that out, I definitely see that in these two guys that are with me and other people that I’ve met already inside of the support team and New South Wales Rugby.”

The Waratahs showed glimpses of promise but fell short of the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs. They finished the season with a 5-9 record, despite starting off 2-0 after wins against the Queensland Reds and Fijian Drua.

But a run of four defeats in five matches saw the Tahs move down the ladder, and their season came to an end after losing five of their final six matches. The Tahs haven’t made the finals since 2023, when they were beaten in the quarters by the Blues.

“When you come in, okay, the team hasn’t had the results, maybe, that they wanted to have. But I’ve got to come in with the boys here and own all of that because the fans have been here the whole time,”

“We’ll look at all those things, say, ‘What can we do better?

“Here’s a certain amount of talent and energy or whatever the players bring to us and the crew around, okay, what can we help them turn into? Because it’s really in their hands at the end of the day on the field, and help them also enjoy their footy.

“I know that sounds cliché but that is so important. Enjoy the atmosphere and that’ll help you when times don’t go very well, cause there will be times where it’ll be tough. Nothing comes easy… you have to love where you are and what that atmosphere is like.”