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Opposition teams used to ask ‘is Cheika playing?’ before they clashed with Randwick in the Sydney first grade rugby competition – the Shute Shield.
There was a damn good reason – backrower Michael Cheika played every game as if it was his last. He never took any prisoners.
Teak tough Cheika played over 300 games for the Galloping Greens, winning seven premierships between 1987 and 1996 and captaining the side in the latter part.
He was a far better footballer than just representing Australian Under-21s in 1988, and the Waratahs on their 1997 Spring Tour.
But where Cheika missed out as a player, he’s more than made up for it as the only coach to win major championships in both hemispheres – the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2008 and the Super Rugby title with the Waratahs last year.
Now Cheika is two games away from winning rugby’s holy grail – the World Cup.
And he’s still the tough, uncompromising Cheika. However he has made three out-of-character mistakes this year.
The first was the Bledisloe Cup decider at Eden Park where he made so many changes the All Blacks gave the Wallabies a 41-13 shellacking.
The second was he dropped lock Rob Simmons to the bench against Wales, and promoted Dean Mumm.
And the third was against Scotland where hard-marker Cheika blamed himself for backing off the pressure he usually applied to his troops after they had beaten England and Wales on the bounce in two demanding games.
“That’s why we were nearly beaten by Scotland, it won’t happen again this week,” was Cheika’s self-rebuke.
Sure the Wallabies were way off the pace, despite scoring five tries to three in winning on the final hooter 35-34 thanks to a Bernard Foley penalty.
Why the Scots have whinged at the time and since beggars belief.
Wallaby blunders gave them their three tries, and the Wallabies’ ill-discipline gift-wrapped sharp-shooter Greig Laidlaw’s five penalties.
The only conversion Laidlaw missed cost the Scots the game.
The first try came after the Fort Knox defence against Wales fell apart to allow Peter Horne to stroll through under the posts – without a hand being laid on him.
The second came from a ponderous Foley clearance that was charged down, and the third from prop James Slipper sea-gulling among the backs to throw an intercept pass to give Scotland the lead 34-32 with just five minutes left on the clock.
But Cheika has a more serious problem this week.
On Wednesday, three injured Wallabies who are vital at the business end of the tournament – David Pocock (calf), Israel Folau (ankle) and Scott Sio (elbow) – were all definite starters in the semi-final clash with the Pumas early Monday morning AEDT.
But on Thursday, all three were seriously in doubt.
Is that dramatic change in fortunes in just 24 hours genuine, or is someone having a lend of us?
Pocock’s a must, while Slipper, having had the worst moment of his life exonerated by the Foley penalty, would be set to play the game of his life if Sio’s unfit.
That leaves Folau.
At his best, he’s a match-winner. But the big bloke hasn’t been anywhere near his best in this tournament, giving Kurtley Beale the chance to show his wares.
And Beale’s been brilliant.
In an ideal world, Sio would be wearing the No.1 jersey, Pocock the 8, and Folau the 15. I have no doubt the Wallabies will beat the Pumas to reach the final, providing there’s a starting place for Beale on the wing – with a brief to roam.
Beale deserves it.
But if all three injured Wallabies fail to front, this will be the biggest litmus test of Cheika’s burgeoning international career.
He didn’t take any prisoners as a player, and it’s a mighty safe bet he won’t be taking any prisoners come Monday when Slipper, Ben McCalman, and Beale step up to the plate.