Report: Former Wallabies coach turned NRL assistant poised for Waratahs return

Former Wallabies head coach and current Sydney Roosters assistant coach Michael Cheika is set to make a return to the NSW Waratahs.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Cheika will be announced as the club’s new head coach 12 years after clinching the club’s first Super Rugby title.

“According to informed sources speaking on the condition of anonymity, Cheika’s likely two-year deal is currently being finalised. The Waratahs are set to announce their new coach later this week,” the SMH reported.

“The former Wallabies coach has been in conversations with RA Chief Executive Phil Waugh for the last two weeks, with Cheika still to take charge of Lebanon in the Rugby League World Cup and also keen to see out the NRL season with the Roosters.”

Cheika, who’s currently alongside Trent Robinson at the Roosters, last held a role in the 15-man code with the Leicester Tigers in the Gallagher Premiership.

In 2025, Cheika led the Tigers to the Premiership final, before jetting back to Australia to help the Roosters in the NRL for 2026.

If confirmed, the former Los Pumas head coach will have the services of experienced halves duo Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley, who recently inked deals with the Sydney-based Super Rugby Pacific franchise.

The Waratahs have been without a head coach since the sudden departure of Dan McKellar, who took charge for two years, finishing outside the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs in both seasons.