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Jones v Cheika: Final showdown between two of Australia's most vocal coaches
They were teammates in the 1980s, firebrands for one of Australia’s most storied rugby clubs.
Three decades on, Eddie Jones and Michael Cheika are bickering coaches with an often-gnarly relationship that could reach a crescendo this weekend.
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England against Australia at a Rugby World Cup is always a must-watch – Saturday’s quarter-final is the seventh meeting between the teams in just nine editions of the competition.
But the presence of two outspoken, fiercely passionate coaches in the corner for both teams adds to the allure.
In the white corner of England is Jones, a 59-year-old former hooker who considers pre-game barbs and mind games as a vital part of the build-up to a Test match.
Continue reading below…
In the green-and-gold corner of Australia is Cheika, a no-nonsense 52-year-old former backrower who also shoots from the hip and never takes a backward step.
When they clash, it can be explosive.
Just don’t be fooled by some fairly gentle comments from Jones on Thursday, when asked for his assessment of the Cheika and the Wallabies.
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“I’m proud of the job he does,” Jones said. “He’s a good old mate of mine.”
It hasn’t felt that way over the past three years.
Jones and Cheika go back a long way.
In the late 80s when they were players for Randwick, which has spawned a raft of great Australia internationals including Ken Catchpole, Mark Ella and David Campese.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3e6SmrgFda/
Jones had a Japanese-American mother. Cheika was the son of Lebanese immigrants.
Solid pros for the Galloping Greens, neither ever went on to play for Australia.
However, they’d go on to be head coach of their national team, both losing World Cup finals but having plenty of success elsewhere in their careers.
They have only really crossed each other’s paths in coaching circles since the 2015 World Cup, after which Jones became England’s first ever overseas head coach.
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Perhaps Cheika saw that as some sort of an affront
“It always hurts me when there’s an Aussie over there,” he said Thursday.
That might explain the antagonism between the pair that really kicked off in 2016.
George Ford's demotion from the England side to start versus Australia has sparked an online debate ahead of the quarter-final https://t.co/2KYNViEyG1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 17, 2019
During England’s three-Test tour of Australia that year, which the visitors swept in unprecedented fashion, Jones said on arrival, in what felt very much like sarcasm, that Cheika was the “best coach in the world.”
Cheika had been voted coach of the year in 2015 after turning Australia from a shambolic squad into a World Cup finalist.
Jones, who was coaching Japan at the 2015 World Cup, later added that he felt he was disrespected by Australia on his return to his homeland.
Whether he genuinely felt that, or it was simply a psychological ruse, Cheika bit.
He accused Jones of damaging his own “legacy” with his incendiary remarks about Australia, bemoaning his counterpart’s “vitriol” toward the country where “opportunities were given to him to catch and grow up as a coach and play.”
Cheika didn’t like the way Jones organised a coaches’ meeting with match officials ahead of Wallabies’ game against England later in 2016 at Twickenham, which they lost.
“I wouldn’t know him if I didn’t play footy with him,” Cheika said, referring to their Randwick connection.
“We wouldn’t have associated.”
Days later, Cheika said Jones “always operated with a chip on his shoulder.” The following year, before another meeting at Twickenham won by England, they clashed over talking about referees to the media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3tn2yiA-UV/
At this World Cup in Japan, Cheika couldn’t resist reacting to some cheeky comments by Jones about the “typhoon gods” smiling on the English after their pool game against France was called off because of the destructive Typhoon Hagibis, therefore giving England an extra week of rest before the quarter-finals.
“So I suppose they’d better win,” Cheika said.
“They’ve had the best preparation, according to the coach, so they’d better go out there and win.”
There might be a healthy dose of respect between them for their abilities as coaches, and they may even share a glass of red wine after Saturday’s match in Oita.
But it’s clear these two strong-willed and uncompromising characters rub each other the wrong way.
‘Even experts, we can’t tell on some of the concussions. It's a very diverse, varied sort of reaction to head injury. Every person is different’
– Dr Rahul Jandial on what message @owen_faz not needing @rugbyworldcup HIAs sends out to grassroots rugby https://t.co/qXyyECYsjl— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 17, 2019
Losing a quarter-final match at the World Cup will be painful enough for Jones and Cheika, who are unlikely to be in charge of their respective teams for the 2023 tournament.
Seeing their opposite number prevailing after their recent verbal jousting will make it a touch worse.
It was left to Jones to revive his and Cheika’s Randwick past by referencing one of the club’s recently deceased greats, Jeff Sayle, who has been praised for influencing the career paths of four Wallabies coaches – Bob Dwyer, Ewen McKenzie, Jones and now Cheika.
“There will be a bloke in the sky who will be quite excited about Michael and I coaching against each other this week,” Jones said with a smile.
“I’m sure he’s having a few beers next to St. Peter now, looking at the situation.”
– AAP
Former Australian international Matt Giteau sat down with RugbyPass to discuss his memories of playing in three World Cups:
Comments on RugbyPass
Sometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to comments