Australia face a double-or-nothing deal at next year’s Rugby World Cup: win it or return without a coach.
Michael Cheika says he will quit if his team don’t achieve ultimate glory in Japan at the end of the 2019 rugby season.
The world No.4 Wallabies scraped past Scotland in the quarter-finals in 2015 before being thrashed by New Zealand in the final.
“The way I see it is like this: we came second in the last one and you have got to improve,” Cheika told News Corp on Wednesday.
“So there is only winning the World Cup, otherwise it is probably somebody else’s opportunity to do it.”
The next tournament will mark 20 years since Australia last won the sport’s top prize.
Parachuted into the top role in late 2014, Cheika inherited a dysfunctional squad beset by disciplinary problems and reeling from a split between players and management.
Within a year, the Wallabies were in a World Cup final and appropriately later ranked No.2 behind the all-conquering All Blacks.
But that ranking has since slipped.
While Australia have won a handful more games than they’ve lost under Cheika, wins against weak opponents mask the true story.
In the past two years, the Australians have only beaten the All Blacks once in six attempts.
Against other top-seven teams England, Ireland, South Africa, Wales and Scotland, the Wallabies managed four wins and two draws from 11 matches.
PiratesRugby
Guest
The worst thing to happen to Australian rugby was the Waratahs winning SR. NSW always believes it is superior but reality brings them to heel. With some success under their belts they set about destroying Link, installing the clown and promoting a whole raft of average provincial players to Test team incumbency. The cost has been the marginalisation of truly world class players like Pocock and Fardy and the dumbing down of Australian attack and defence. The results speak for themselves. I'm waiting to hear what 'positives' come out of losing to Ireland.
PiratesRugby
Guest
If we have a real number 8, then either Hooper or Pocock doesn't start.
PiratesRugby
Guest
Things have grown stagnant at the Wallabies in a lot less than 6 years.
PiratesRugby
Guest
The Wallabies can't win the RWC with Foley at 10, Hooper at 7 and Cheika as coach. It would be like swimming the channel with 3 bags of cement. I admire Cheika's selflessness. It will only take losing 2 RWCs, 6 Bleds, 6 Cook Cups and several games to Ireland and Scotland to convince the clown that he's not the man for the job. What a martyr.
Timbo (L)
Roar Guru
The first belonged to MacKenzie, The second against a B-Side. Neither Count. Lies, Damn Lies, Statistics.
JP
Guest
Touche`
Kiwi in us
Guest
Real odd to bring this up now. I think he has a sense that this year will be a cluster. He did a similar odd thing prior to England coming out for June internationals. Just before they got into Australia he committed to RA until end of RWC19. I thought then that he knew it was going to be tough and he wanted to lock it in before the disaster. Any how might as well sit back and enjoy the rugby.
MARTO
Guest
Cheika never will ,time to try someone else, Cheika has had 4 years of nothingness..... Larkham in !! Chuckles out !!
MARTO
Guest
So are the Irish are treating Cheikas Wallabies as an opposed training drill?? .hahahahaha. Tha`ll do me.. So thts is what it has come down to...No one respects Chuckles Cheikas Wallabies??....Cheika will be sacked hopefully when it is a 0-3 series ....
Crash Ball2
Guest
If you want more milk, stop picking donkeys.
Fionn
Guest
That makes sense, riddler. Take some pressure off of your star players.
Fionn
Guest
Timbo, I read an article where Naisarani made it clear he intended on playing for the Wallabies, which is great to hear.
John R
Roar Guru
Righto mate.
John R
Roar Guru
We'll get a look at Holloway starting (for the first time in a longgggg time from memory) this weekend. He looked a bit trimmer, so you'd assume he's fit. Let's see how he goes. I reckon Wessels knew he'd be pretty well served at 8 by Mafi, so he'd have had to let Isi go. Share your toys David!
stillmissit
Roar Guru
John R: I can at best agree with 50% of a 'rampaging #8'. It is not a position for a mug with a ball running at the opposition, there are some serious smarts to the position. I am not suggesting that Naisarani is a mug but my choice, assuming he gets his ability on the field back again, is Jed Holloway. I am wondering why Wessels did not take Naisarani to the Rebels?
UKKiwi
Guest
Haha - When England beat the AB's by 17 in 2012 the common term used was destroyed.
Malo
Guest
People don’t really appreciate how good an effort making 2015 rwcup final really was . I don’t understand how people can’t see the cattle he has and the achievements he has had with them. It’s a remarkable achievement. Robbie Deans also did a remarkable job with the cattle. We need better cows thru greater and greener Pasteur’s ie domestic comps.
Crash Ball2
Guest
The Wallabies get more bites at the AB cherry than any other team in the world. If England or Ireland (or Hell, Scotland) played the Blacks as many times as the Wallabies, recent form would point to a far better conversion rate than the stuttering men in Gold and their recalcitrant coach put out.
Bib
Guest
we are clearly talking HC.
riddler
Guest
if you listen to bod.. he isn't that concerned about winning in oz.. he says the irish will naturally be wanting to win, but the main objective will be in blooding new players and give them game time in international matches before the wc.. covering the likes of sexton, murray etc.. the players that usually play the full 80 in 6 nations games.. which is their priority after the wc.. naturally...