As Rugby Australia narrows in on finding Joe Schmidt’s replacement, former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika appears to have thrown his hat in the ring after meeting with chief executive Phil Waugh.
The Roar can exclusively reveal Cheika met Waugh on Tuesday morning on Sydney’s lower North Shore at Piato Restaurant.
It’s understood Cheika, who is back in Sydney for a flying visit before returning to England to complete his final four months with Leicester Tigers, reached out to Waugh – and it doesn’t take much to imagine what was on the menu.
With Schmidt bowing out in early October following the Rugby Championship, RA needs to find a coach to lead the Wallabies through the two most important years in the game’s history, which includes the 2027 World Cup on home soil.
Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika met with Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh about the soon-to-be vacant role. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The governing body has many things to consider, chiefly a desire to find someone to continue on the rebuilding job Schmidt has started and, most importantly, secure the person most likely to lead the Wallabies to the final weekend of the World Cup on the second week of November in 2027.
Local coaches in Super Rugby, including the Reds’ Les Kiss and first-year Waratahs boss Dan McKellar, are considered the leading candidates for the role, while Irish great and La Rochelle coach Ronan O’Gara has also expressed his interest.
Reigning Super Rugby-winning coach Vern Cotter, who helped snap the Blues’ 21-year drought, is another who many pundits, including Matt To’omua and Morgan Turinui, have suggested RA should sound out.
But few in the world, especially in Australia, have the resume to match Cheika’s, with the 2015 World Rugby coach of the year one of the few locals to have worked extensively on the international stage and won major titles domestically.
Cheika also just so happens to be free and available after announcing recently that he wouldn’t continue with Leicester despite the Tigers’ desire to extend his one-year deal beyond June since taking over from McKellar.
Waugh, who was on the RA board when Cheika’s tumultuous reign ended in 2019, recently said he was hoping to announce the next Wallabies coach in the next few weeks and on Tuesday told The Roar he was pleased with the interest the vacant role was garnering.
“We’re happy with the progress being made regarding the appointment of the next Wallabies head coach,” Waugh said.
“We have worked extensively to identify a targeted shortlist of candidates whom we believe are best placed to continue the strong progress made under the coaching of Joe Schmidt.
“We have also received a high level of inbound interest from quality candidates from around the world, reflecting the positive trajectory of the Wallabies.
“We are incredibly excited for the Test against Fiji, the British and Irish Lions series and The Rugby Championship under Joe before an orderly transition ahead of Tests against Japan and the Autumn Nations series later in the year.”
RA CEO Phil Waugh is on the hunt for a new Wallabies coach, with Joe Schmidt (L) to bow out in October. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
It’s believed Cheika wasn’t originally identified as one of RA’s top targets, but he is also known as one of the most persuasive figures in the game.
While the passionate Australian’s reign ended in chaos in 2019, Cheika also turned the country’s fortunes around in less than a year by leading them to the World Cup final in 2015.
His success on the international stage came after he became the first coach to win major domestic titles in the north and south, with Cheika leading the Waratahs to a historic Super Rugby title in 2014 five years after his Leinster side won the European Champions Cup.
And while the second half of Cheika’s tenure with the Wallabies nose-dived, the former Randwick coach showed his coaching prowess and experience by leading Argentina to the World Cup semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup.
Along the way, Los Pumas beat the Wallabies on home soil, England at Twickenham and the South Americans secured a historic win over the All Blacks in New Zealand.
Many believe Cheika has matured as a coach and person in recent years, but some still think it’s still too soon to turn to another Randwick figure following Eddie Jones’ horror 2023 campaign.
