Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is on the cusp of creating more history in his illustrious career, having guided Leicester Tigers into this weekend’s Premiership final.
‘Cheik’ will finish up with Leicester regardless of the result against Bath at Twickenham as his one year contract expires.
If successful, Cheika will be the first coach to win a Heineken Cup, Celtic Cup, Super Rugby title and an English Premiership.
Watch the English Premiership final between Leicester and Bath on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every match live and on demand
Michael Cheika at Welford Road Stadium in Leicester. Getty
That’s on top of leading Australia to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final and Argentina to the 2023 semi-finals.
Naturally, talk Down Under has turned to “how do we get Cheika back involved in Australian rugby?”
Cheika told The Sydney Morning Herald’s Iain Payten that he felt Australian rugby wasn’t really interested in him.
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The Reds need a coach when Les Kiss joins the Wallabies after the 2026 season but Cheika quipped: “I could never coach Queensland.”
That suggests two things.
1: Unsurprisingly, the former Waratahs coach is a passionate and principled person who feels a deep connection to NSW’s state rivalry.
2: There are likely only two coaching roles in Australian rugby which would interest the 2014 Super Rugby winner: the Wallabies gig or a return to NSW.
Given the national job is wrapped up for a few years to come – with Joe Schmidt handing the reins to Kiss – can a creative option provide a solution?
Could Waratahs coach Dan McKellar be re-deployed to the Reds to take over from Kiss, and open the door for Cheika in Sydney?
It’s an option I posed on Stan Sport’s Inside Line this week.
The pragmatic fellow that he is, ‘Payto’ pointed out the idea may not suit McKellar, who is trying to restore NSW to their former glories.
True. But he is a Queenslander and it’s my understanding he has expressed a desire to coach the Reds previously.
Waratahs coach Dan McKellar watches on. Getty
He’s an experienced coach and there’s no reason he couldn’t go up to Ballymore and have success with a settled and talented playing group.
That move would allow Cheika to return to the Waratahs and inject a winning, captivating, headline-grabbing mentality for Australian rugby’s most important market.
This of course hinges on whether Cheika would do it, if RA’s brass could convince all parties to buy in, and if Queensland would come to the table.
NEW PODCAST! Inside Line break down reports of a shock new Wallabies skipper and where serial winner Michael Cheika could fit in Australian rugby moving forward
That’s a lot of ifs but food for thought and rugby needs to think outside the box.
I’m not of the belief that Australian rugby ‘needs’ Michael Cheika to return but it’s a ‘want’ the game should have, and it’s better for rugby to have him on board than jumping ship to the NRL, a coaching dream he has long talked about.
You can watch Michael Cheika’s Tigers take on Bath in the Premiership final, with coverage on Stan Sport from 11.50pm AEST on Saturday.
Michael Cheika looks on as Roosters coach Trent Robinson gives instructions to the players. Getty
FUTURE FINALS FORMAT CAN’T BE A FLOP
Much has been made about the format of the Super Rugby Pacific finals series this year and plenty has been said about what changes should be made in the future.
Super Rugby CEO, Jack Mesley, has already indicated the system will be reviewed after the conclusion of this year’s competition.
As Tim Horan pointed out on Inside Line, one thing that has plagued Super Rugby over the years is too much change.
So review the finals process with trepidation, but don’t avoid change for fear of it.
Whatever the review discovers, there are two things the future finals format shouldn’t include: the possibility of a dead rubber or for a losing team in week one to host a semi-final in week two.
If not for the Blues’ late victory over the Chiefs on Saturday, the match between the Brumbies and Hurricanes would have been an all but pointless exercise, with both teams playing in the knowledge that a loss wouldn’t see them eliminated.
Thankfully, Beauden Barrett and the Blues injected some jeopardy into the game by beating the Chiefs, meaning the loser of Brumbies vs Hurricanes would be planning Mad Monday.
That said, the Brumbies victory should have seen them host a semi-final this weekend.
Instead, the defeated Chiefs – who finished top of the table – slipped one spot in their ranking to host the Brumbies in Hamilton. That can’t happen in a finals series.
