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An open letter to Michael Cheika: Sir, please step down

Roar Rookie
2nd October, 2018
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Roar Rookie
2nd October, 2018
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Here is my open letter to Michael Cheika, the embattled head coach of the Wallabies.

G’day Michael Cheika,

Firstly, thank you for your enthusiasm and hard work with the current Wallabies.

No one should doubt your dedication and your belief in what you have been doing.

Your passion is obvious – as is the passion of so many Wallaby fans.

However, there does come a time, if such attributes are not rewarded with results, that one must question why the results have been so poor. Much was made of the reaching of the last RWC final in 2015, including the defeat of England on home soil.

But that English team seemed to be dispirited (they did not progress out of the pool stage) and lacking in any constructive ideas. And, let’s be honest, the Wallabies would not have progressed any further had it not been for a refereeing error against Scotland.

You seemed to blame some of the 2017 results on the fact that our Super Rugby teams of 2017 were not fit. It would seem that they were fitter this year?

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Mr. Cheika, it also seems that Rugby Australia have granted most of your requests this year.

If I may, I would like to analyse these one by one below:

1. Sole selector
While it is doubtful if, say, ten experts, would totally agree when picking their top 23, there are so many obvious faults with your selections.

Many other Roar fans have pointed out what they see as poor selections that I will not add my thoughts here, other than to say that there is one very obvious poor Cheika selection.

I don’t wish to belittle the player (who might come good down the track), but I particularly watched a replay of Ned Hanigan’s game against the Boks and, I am sorry to say, he was virtually ineffective (yet he was left of the field for the entire 80 minutes).

Ned Hanigan Australia Rugby Union Wallabies 2017

Ned Hanigan of the Wallabies. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

2. Skills coach
I was horrified that players of an international standard would need a skills coach to address faults that should have been corrected at schoolboy level. You wanted to employ Mick Byrne as skills coach but since then there has been no obvious improvement in the players’ skills. In some cases they seem to have deteriorated!

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3. Specialist backs/attack coach
During his playing days, Steve Larkham was in a group of my all-time favourite Wallabies – a truly fantastic player, with great vision.

He was such a ‘natural’ that Rod Macqueen (I think) was able to move him from full-back to fly-half so quickly and successfully at international level.

However, it is possible that his skills came so naturally to Larkham that he is unable to pass on such skills to his players. Being a fantastic player does not necessarily transfer to being a great coach.

I compare that to the fact that brilliant academics rarely make great teachers, since such great minds usually cannot see the difficulties that face their pupils.

Current Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham

Stephen Larkham was a natural on the field – but can he coach? (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

4. Specialist forward coach
The fabulous Fijians are noted for their great attacking flair – not for their tight forward play.

One must therefore question why a Fijian was chosen as forwards coach after Mario Ledesma took charge of the Pumas?

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5. Defence coach
We are obviously missing far too many tackles per game. Add to that, the number of times tries were scored against us by teams having the overlap (therefore no missed tackles as such), and it is clear that something is very wrong.

Persons much more knowledgeable than I have given various reasons for this.

Rugby World Cup 2019
Unless there is urgent action taken, it is possible that we may not even progress out of our pool.

Wales are overdue for a win against us, let’s hope that it is not in 2019, and the Fiji Drua are sweeping most teams before them in the current NRC with players selected from various villages in Fiji.

They will be so much stronger by the time of the World Cup when their professional, hardened players, now playing overseas, join them.

Michael Cheika

There are difficult times for Wallabies coach Michael Cheika. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

In conclusion I’d like to say a sincere thanks for your efforts with the Wallabies, but I cannot see real improvements under your methods.

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You even virtually admitted that you don’t have a Plan A, let alone a Plan B, when interviewed on Fox’s Kick and Chase a few weeks ago.

You claimed there that you mostly worried about how your team would play, and that it was bad to be thinking too much about the opposition.

If you really care as much as I think you do about the success of the Wallabies, please do the right thing and step down after the Pumas game this weekend.

And please take your assistants with you.

That would at least give an incoming coaching panel some chance on the November Spring Tour to turn things around.

Thank you.

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