Michael Cheika fuels North vs South entertainment debate

Michael Cheika has been blown away by the “crazy” Gallagher Premiership, which he claims eclipses the southern hemisphere when it comes to expansive rugby.

The former Australia and Argentina coach will leave Leicester Tigers at the end of the season after what he admits has been an eye-opening year in England.

Any pre-conceived ideas he may have had over the stodgy nature of the English game have been exploded. “The teams that are playing some crazy footy, like running the ball, have totally surprised me,” said Cheika.

“I hadn’t watched a lot beforehand. I watched some of the games the Argentinian players would have been playing in because they would have been playing over here in the lead-up to the Test matches I would have coached with them, but I never really expected to see what I’ve seen from some of the teams and the way that they play their footy. They have been way more expansive even than some of the games you would see down south.

“That has taken me by surprise and it’s been good for me because I had to really adapt and change things around a little bit on the defensive side. It has been good to see.”

After another 48 tries in the Premiership last weekend, the league is averaging 7.85 tries per game this season. Although that is still slightly below Super Rugby, the league is on course for a record average for a regular season with two rounds to go.

The question of whether champagne rugby equates to title-winning rugby will be answered in the play-offs. The top two clubs in the league – Johann van Graan’s Bath and Cheika’s Leicester play a more balanced game, although neither could be accused of being one-dimensional.

Bath have scored a league-high 85 tries in 16 matches, while the Premiership’s top individual try scorer this season is Tigers’ wing Ollie Hassell-Collins with 12.

Cheika’s belief is that while his tactical approach suits the Tigers there is nothing to stop a side lifting the trophy playing razzle-dazzle rugby – as Harlequins did in 2021.

“Of course it can be winning rugby,” he said. “If you look at the teams that are most obvious – Bristol and Gloucester – they are up there competing for the finals and tough to beat. You’ve got to be on your hammer against them. They’ve got really clear on how they want to play the game, and they have been very, very competitive.

“It’s how good you play, the way you want to play, in the end and the match-ups you can come up with.”