The most pilloried sporting identity in Australia is Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.
But there’s a lot more to the 51-year-old than meets the eye.
He’ll give me a mouthful for pushing his case purely because he fights his own fights, and has throughout his life.
Off the field, he has turned his fashion house “Live Fashion” into a multi-million dollar international business, and just for good measure he speaks fluent French, Italian, and Arabic.
On the field, he was one of the toughest back row forwards in the Shute Shield during his 300-plus first-grade games with Randwick from the 1980s through to the 1990s.
Opponents would ask just one question in the lead-up to playing the Galloping Greens – “Is Cheika playing?”
During his career he was a vital member of seven premiership teams, and once he hung up his boots and took to coaching Randwick more premierships came his way.
He is the only coach in h1story to win major championships in both hemispheres – the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009, and the Waratahs to their first Super Rugby title in 2014, ending a 19-year drought.
The icing on the cake was taking the Wallabies to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham against the All Blacks after just 16 games – seven of those during the Cup itself.
Yet Cheika has been portrayed in most quarters as a dill and one that must be sacked. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Coaches don’t lose their magic, players do.
Let’s look at the facts.
In those first-up 16 games as Wallaby coach, Cheika chalked up 11 wins for a 68.75 per cent success rate.
In the 34 internationals since, the Wallabies have won just 14 for 41.18 per cent – and the sacking dogs are barking loudly.
Yet Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, David Pocock. Michael Hooper, Rob Simmons, Sekope Kepu, and Scott Sio are still operating from the lineup that started the last RWC final, and so too are Tatafa Polota-Nau, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, and Kurtley Beale off the bench.
Tevita Kuridrani also started but is currently injured. That’s 13 of the 23 still in business.
Importantly, four of the five key back row-pivots are still playing with Scott Fardy the only one missing, and he is a huge loss.
But the replacements from the RWC final are at least the equal, or better, than three years ago.
Especially Beale, who has grown in stature immensely.
Cheika’s current top squad boasts 329 caps in the forwards, 295 in the backs, and 401 off the bench.
That’s 1025 caps, so how the hell were the Wallabies beaten 78-25 in the last two Tests, miss 83 tackles and turn over possession 36 times?
Of the 23 only Pocock was the standout in both Tests, while Beale shone in the first.
The rest didn’t stand up to be counted. If they played like that against Italy, there would be no certainty the Wallabies would win, and the Italians are the joke and the whipping boys of the Six-Nations.
But Cheika didn’t miss the tackles, drop the passes, lose possession, or over-run supports – the players did, and for that Cheika should be punted?
If Cheika is to be blamed for anything, it’s sticking to players who have let him, and the team, down.
Already in this campaign Cheka has dropped senior players Simmons and Kepu to the bench, but that’s just scratching the surface.
The prime example is his limp captain Hooper who is not the best number seven in the side, and certainly not the best captain – Pocock is both.
(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
And where is punishing prop Taniela Tupou with his 135 kgs to throw around, where is 208 cms of lock Rory Arnold and where are the 117 kgs of hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and backrower Caleb Timu?
And ask the same question of three more backrowers in Scott Higginbotham, Jack Dempsey, and Jed Holloway?
It’s time for the incumbents to shape up, or ship out, and time for Rugby Australia to butt out altogether with no more off the planet signings like Hooper for $6 million over five years.
Having said that, if the Wallabies play to their natural ability, showing the pride and passion you would expect from a Wallaby squad, I have no doubts they can top Group D at next years RWC in Japan, account for France or the Pumas in the quarters and Ireland in the semis, before taking on the All Blacks again in the decider.
I doubt the Wallabies can stop the men-in-black chalking up their third successful RWC, so as Cheika said months ago unless the Wallabies do better than 2015, he’s riding off into the sunset.
In the meantime, Michael Cheika is by far the best man for the job, just let him do it.
Harry Jones
Expert
Yes, but only after SARU refused to give Meyer exactly what they just gave Erasmus; the kind of power every other top 10 coach has. So, it was a "forced" resignation.
Rugby wizard
Guest
Emile what a wonderful talent,everyone which he competed against even all black and bok internationals struggled against him and so is Europe's best currently.Jones is a perfect rugby player ,Higgs the greatest try scoring forward in the history of super rugby and there is not a loose forward in world rugby that can out match him in a physical battle.
PiratesRugby
Guest
Surely the results speak for themselves? Failure at Bled. Failure against English, Irish and Scots. And it is not as though he's "building" anything. The game plan seems even more haphazard and disjointed as time goes by. No player has been developed. Sure, players come and go but which player has improved or blossomed under Cheika? He continues to play Pocock out of position. Rising talents like Hodge, Maddocks, DHP, Korobeite, Sio, Latu, Coleman, Arnold etc come into the team as great prospects but then seem to hit a brick wall. His stalwarts like Phipps, Beale, Foley, Folau, Hooper have just been treading water for four years. Other favourites like Mumm, Hanigan, Skelton all got massive opportunities and game time with no benefit. Meanwhile other players like Higginbotham, Jones, Alo Emile were alienated. With Cheika the Wallabies are stuck in 2015 while the world moves on. And we weren't very good in 2015. Not only is Cheika not moving but there's no attempt to assess his leadership and change how things are set up. What kind of organisation is this? Where is the review? Why can't Cheika accept criticism? Why is he still the sole selector? What will happen after next year?
soapit
Roar Guru
he got renewed off his 1st 4 years and sacked because of the subsequent 2. you might want to compare his win/loss from that later period as well as the type of rugby that was being used to achieve it to understand why he got dumped
Joe
Roar Rookie
I followed Leinster when Cheika was in charge and later having moved back to Sydney the Tahs when he was in charge. He proved he can be an awesome coach. Anyone who says he is a poor selector, cant motivate or is poor tactically is just plain wrong. What bewilders me is why is he not doing that now with the wallabies? Is he in a form slump? Do coaches hit bad periods? Or is he constrained by RA? Have they invested so much in the golden few that he must play them? Or does he truly have the blinkers on re the 2014 Tahs players? I would really love to know. He is/was? A great coach. I think pooper has had its day. Retire it. Being unfit is unforgivable for pros. Poor set piece is also unforgivable. All basic coach stuff. Although i agree bigger issue is grass roots.
Bakkies
Roar Guru
Absolutely CB it would make him think about resigning than the DoR takes over until a replacement can be found. Not sold on Johnson he has been out of Australian Rugby for far too long.
Hurles
Roar Rookie
“If Cheika is to be blamed for anything, it’s sticking to players who have let him, and the team, down.” This is precisely the problem and why he should be moved on. No doubt he has had success as a coach, but Cheika has his blinkers on and won’t even consider an alternative to his favorites. He has said as much re. Foley. I have no doubt he is a fantastic coach but he is blinded by his success with the Waratahs. Even the success he had with the 2015 RWC was a little deflating. We made the final but the performances were pretty average for the most part and aside from the England game I didn’t see the Wallabies put in a complete performance. The writing is on the wall. Change is needed, the problem is who and can RA afford it.
Bakkies
Roar Guru
Agreed Jimmy, I have across a team that go on to full field but more than half of the squad couldn't tackle or just couldn't be bothered. The other teams in the comp were so far ahead and the boys were having to be taught stuff that was introduced at under 8s.
Buk
Guest
Harry - unfortunately true points re 2015 RWC pecking order.
Buk
Guest
Sfern - Yes the All Blacks are always adapting, always looking at ways to improve. We seem to have moved forwards in some areas while moving sideways or backwards in others. I think Nick Bishop's article nailed one area we seriously fell back in.
jason
Roar Rookie
not likely they will turn use over and yes
Crash Ball2
Guest
Agreed HiKa. If anything, McKenzie tried too hard to show he wasn’t favouring Reds through his game day selections. No such issues for our myopic incumbent coach and his unashamedly parochial team sheets.
Rugby wizard
Guest
Absolutely spot on,players are allowed 20 plus tests and are allowed too be average,the list is endless of players getting 1,2,3 starts doing well when they have done well when it comes too basics defense too name one. 1.Dempsey 2.Higgenbotham 3.Arnold 4.L.Timani 5.Godwin 6.Morahan. has any of these players played badly when putting on a wallaby jersey No!!!,what we have seen since Cheika took over is that its better too play badly it guarantees lots of test matches
HiKa
Roar Rookie
"McKenzie stuck with the Reds players ..." That's not my recollection of McKenzie's selections. Seeing as he was a Melburnian kid who grew up to play for and coach the Tahs, it's hard to argue he had any strong Qld bias. Would love to have seen him coach WBs with Pocock in the team.
Crash Ball2
Guest
The Director of Rugby scenario also has the benefit of likely moving Cheika on sooner rather than later - and assumedly without any payout. “Michael, you now report to Jake and here is your panel of selectors.” Can’t see Cheik’s staying around too long when some actual accountability and governance is finally implemented.
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
From memory it was a wet game and if I'm correct thats going to always make it difficult against the big boks.Lucky we had a certain Daniel Carter to get us home.Yea boi
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
What a balls up mistake that has turned out to be.
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
thank you for a well thought out read.I think you nailed all your points
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
Retallick has made a massive improvement to the team with the way he is going this year.Read prob too now with out the back problems.SBW missing?well lets see about that one but I like our back line with out him .I know the players rate his professionalism but I think we have better players
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
I agree with all of this.The ABs own the Cheika wallabies mentally.I reckon they want him continuing .