Michael Cheika lined up for sensational return to Rugby Union

Former Wallabies and Argentina boss Michael Cheika, who has been working in the NRL, could make a sensational return to the NSW Waratahs after a series of targets turned them down.

Cheika had a three-year spell at the helm of the Waratahs between 2012 and 2015 before leaving to take over the Wallabies, and spent last season learning the ropes of coaching in the NRL as an assistant coach at the Sydney Roosters.

But calls for him to replace the ousted Dan McKellar have been growing stronger after a series of targets turned down the chance to take over at the Super Rugby Pacific outfit next season.

Former Ireland and Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt was a target, but he has been confirmed as a coach development adviser at Ulster, while it is also believed that Scott Robertson and Eddie Jones’s long-time sidekick Scott Wisemantel, now at the Parramatta Eels, have also said no.

The Waratahs could now turn to Cheika, who left Leicester Tigers in June 2025 and was linked with the top job at the NRL outfit St. George Illawarra Dragons as they step up attempts to secure McKellar’s replacement.

Meanwhile, St. Helens RL legend Bobbie Goulding has taken to the networking site LinkedIn to call on the Super League outfit to push the boat out and go all out for Cheika, as they seek a permanent replacement for their departed boss Paul Rowley.

“Everyone seems to be talking about who should get the St Helens job, but for me, they’re looking at it completely the wrong way. Too many people are thinking about friendships, short-term fixes, or giving a mate a chance. That’s not how you build a club that wants to compete on the world stage,” Goulding wrote.

“St Helens don’t just need another coach – they need to make a statement. My choice, and I know it will surprise a lot of people, would be Michael Cheika. The former Australia Rugby Union head coach has been working with the Sydney Roosters over the last couple of years, and everything I’m hearing about him is exciting.

“If Saints have the opportunity to bring him in and don’t take it, I honestly believe they’ll have missed a huge chance to take the club where it belongs.

“A coach of that calibre wouldn’t just improve the team; he’d bring worldwide attention, fresh ideas, and put St Helens firmly on the global rugby map. Show the rugby world that St Helens are thinking bigger than just next week – they’re building for the next decade.”