Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has revealed he would be open to taking Australia to another World Cup campaign down the track.
In an exclusive interview with The Australian, which will be run in full in the WISH magazine on Friday, Cheika says he’s not the first person to have underachieved but believes his experience as an international coach can help moving forward.
“So, no business person has ever failed and not come back, not achieved a target and not come back?” he posited during an interview with The Australian, which is titled ‘I want another crack at the Wallabies’.
“People focus on the negatives. We had plenty of wins. I still want to coach now. I love it, I love being part of the sport.
“When we made the World Cup (in 2015) and lost the final, my thoughts were about succeeding in 2019. It didn’t happen. But do you sulk about it or let it beat you or come back stronger? Everyone moans that people are not resilient. Why would I ever try to resile from the past, from the honour of coaching an international team? Maybe that’s where society has positioned itself – go hide under a rock if something doesn’t go your way. As a leader, if I am not showing fight and resilience, how can I expect others to be resilient?”
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Cheika, who led the Wallabies to the Rugby World Cup final in his first full year in charge in 2015, fell on his sword following the Wallabies’ quarter-final exit in last year’s tournament in Japan.
The 40-16 crushing defeat suffered at the hands of England, coached by former Wallabies boss Eddie Jones, was the final dagger in Cheika’s six-year reign.
Had he not jumped, Rugby Australia would have been forced to bid Cheika goodbye.
“I think that in a different set of circumstances things would be different,” Cheika told The Australian.
“We were very close to winning it at one time. You have to believe in yourself.”
The belligerent personality, who carved out a playing career for Randwick before starting out his coaching career in Italy, raised eyebrows when it was announced he was joining Mario Ledesma’s Pumas coaching team.
Only six months earlier Cheika had said he would never coach against a side he had let, not least the Wallabies.
Yet, here he was, joining the Pumas ahead of their Tri Nations campaign against the Wallabies.
Cheika helped mastermind the Pumas’ historic first victory over the All Blacks last month before also seeing the South Americans to a respectable draw against the Wallabies a week later.
The draw effectively ended the Wallabies’ hopes of winning some precious silverware after a barren period in Australian rugby.
He will once again attract attention ahead of the Pumas’ final Test of the year on Saturday against the Wallabies at Bankwest Stadium.
“I don’t want Australia to lose, I just want us to win,” Cheika said.
“When I decided to help the team (Argentina) out, the kids asked me, ‘who do we go for?’ I said, ‘you don’t change where you are born, just because I am doing this, you can’t support Argentina’.”
Before assisting his good friend Ledesma, Cheika spent time as a consultant with the Sydney Roosters in the NRL.
In 2021, he will take charge of Lebanon’s Rugby League World Cup campaign – a lifelong dream of his.
But it’s in the XV-person game that Cheika is likely to return to.
A return to the Wallabies’ coaching role one day?
Unlikely.
But as Jones’ own career path has shown, nothing can be ruled out.
