1
Reports: Michael Cheika tipped to replace Mario Ledesma as Los Pumas boss
Former Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika is reportedly set to replace Mario Ledesma as Los Pumas boss, according to multiple reports.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ledesma resigned from his role at the helm of the Argentine national side following a horror 2021 campaign where they went winless in the Rugby Championship and won only three of their 12 tests, all while not playing a single match in Argentina.
That record is stark in comparison to Argentina’s showing in 2020, when they came second in a truncated Tri Nations series after beating the All Blacks for the first time and went unbeaten in two tests against the Wallabies in Australia.
Those are now distant memories, though, and Los Pumas are in dire straits 18 months out from next year’s World Cup in France.
However, Argentina may have the answer to their problems in the form of Cheika, who, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion, is reported to be unveiled as Ledesma’s successor.
Cheika worked in a consultancy role for Argentina during the 2020 Tri Nations and 2021 Rugby Championship, and ESPN reports that Union de Argentina president Marcelo Rodriguez could announce Cheika as Los Pumas boss as early as this week.
Since departing as Wallabies head coach following a dismal 2019 World Cup campaign, culminating in a heavy quarter-final defeat to England, Cheika has worked in various positions across the world.
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition to his assistant role for Los Pumas under the guidance of Ledesma, who was his assistant at the Wallabies, Cheika holds the director of rugby position at the NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu in Japan’s League One competition.
He was also due to coach Lebanon at last year’s Rugby League World Cup before its postponement to the end of this year, and is currently working as a pundit for Stan Sport and Channel Nine in Australia.
If the 2015 World Rugby Coach of the Year is appointed as Los Pumas head coach, he could square off against the Wallabies in a World Cup quarter-final next year.
With the Wallabies in Pool C alongside Wales and Fiji, and Los Pumas in Pool D alongside England, Japan and Samoa, the top-ranked teams from those pools will play the second-placed sides in the opposite group in the first knockout stage.
ADVERTISEMENT
That would provide Australian rugby with a tantalising storyline, although Cheika would come up against the Wallabies before then in the Rugby Championship.
The Wallabies are scheduled to face Los Pumas twice in Argentina in August, with the first test to be played at Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario in San Juan, and the second at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.
Los Pumas will also host Scotland in a three-test series in July before going on to play further Rugby Championship fixtures against the All Blacks in Hamilton and Christchurch, and against the Springboks in Buenos Aires and Durban.
At the time of writing, only one Los Pumas fixture has been locked in for the November test window, which will come against England at Twickenham.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments