- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Under siege Wallaby coach Michael Cheika has been pilloried from all four points of the compass over the season.
The attacks range from the criticising his three wins from 10 internationals this campaign, his lack of tactical nous, his inconsistent selection policies picking out of form Wallabies, others out of position, and a trigger temper.
On the other side of the coin, Cheika is a remarkable man, and remarkable men have a habit of breaking down barriers.
He’s the only rugby coach of import in the world who speaks fluent English, French, Italian, and Arabic, with a smattering of Spanish.
He’s the only provincial coach in the world to win big tournaments in each hemisphere, taking Leinster to the 2009 Heineken Cup success in the north, and ending a 19-year Waratahs drought to capture the 2014 Su[er Rugby crown in the south.
And for the icing on the coaching cake, Cheika’s men reached the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, and won the 2014 Rugby Championship.
But the 49-year-old would be the first to salute Rod Macqueen as the Wallabies most successful coach, winning the 1999 Rugby World Cup. four Bledisloe Cup series, two Tri-Nations, a Tom Richardson Cup, and coach the Wallabies to it’s only series win over the British and Irish Lions as his farewell gesture.
That’s the max, the ARU trophy cabinet has never been so chockers.
Eddie Jones coached the Wallabies to the 2003 RWC final, and won the Bledisloe in 2002, while Robbie Deans won the Tri-Nations in 2011.
It’s been my experience rugby coaches coach the way they played.
Macqueen, Deans, and Ewen McKenzie were high quality players who got on with the job with no bells and whistles, and they coached the same way.
Jones was full of cheek, and remains a cheeky coach.
The only Wallaby coach to differ from his playing days was the late great Dave Brockhoff.
He was the loosest of Wallaby flankers, seagulling would be more accurate, but his coaching was strictly tight 10-man rugby with the fly-half constantly kicking, and in the very successful Sydney Uni days it was Rupert Rosenblum’s boot that struck constant leather.
As a result, the centres, wingers, and fullback very nearly died of boredom, rarely did they touch the ball, only chase.
That leaves Michael Cheika.
He was an explosive player who didn’t take any prisoners, week after week. There were times he was over-aggressive which possibly cost him the gold jersey he richly deserved.
In the lead-up to clashing with Randwick, opposition players would always ask – “Is Cheika playing?”
And he’s turned out to be an explosive coach who wears his inner most feelings on his sleeve, be it refereeing, or the recent coloured cartoon on the front page of The New Zealand Herald before the last Bledisloe at Eden Park, depicting him as a clown with all the trappings.
Cheika wasn’t impressed, and blew his stack.
Yet given the chance, Cheika has a great sense of humour.
He’s had a dicky shoulder since his 300-plus games with the Galloping Greens, and last week he collided with a yet un-named Wallaby at training, resulting in necessary surgery.
Afterwards he rang his wife Stephanie to tell her, and her first reaction was “How is the player?”.
Cheika followed that up with suggesting a peace drink with All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was out of the question as he’ll spend most of the upcoming northern hemisphere tour with his arm in a sling.
Which begs the question can Michael Cheika ever become one of the Wallabies most successful coaches?
Darn right he can, just curb his trigger temper and the rest will fall into place.