‘I can't coach Queensland': Cheika on trophies, Aussie snubs and a future in league

The Age

a day ago

'The whole turnaround thing, which has been something I've done always pretty much, you know, trying to do that in the year, I released I probably needed to accelerate a few things.'
The Tigers have won eight of twelve games since.
English style
In his first season coaching in England, Cheika has been surprised, and impressed, with the amount of expansive rugby he has encountered. Though once considered a kick-heavy, forward-dominated competition, the average per-game tries in the Premiership now sits just under that of Super Rugby.
'It surprised me,' he said. 'There's some teams over here that are playing some extremely expansive footy. Like to a point where you've got to strategise defensively differently in order to cope with it
'There's a few others that are playing a lot less kicking and a lot of running from everywhere. It's been an interesting, good challenge for me to have to – I always thought I was the guy who was involved with the teams that are running the most, and I was probably the guy who's running the team that's running one of the least.'
Hob-nobbing in Monaco
Cheika and Kidwell found themselves with a close-up view of a high-performing Aussie in action – Oscar Piastri – when, via a coaching mentoring group, they were invited into the McLaren garage during qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
'The whole day there, you know, they were so kind to us,' he said. 'They've got a really interesting set-up. They gave access to so many interesting people for the day. I'm hoping that I'll get another chance to go in with them again in the near future, because it's a very different sport to ours, but there's a lot of crossover in the human management of people and in the key moments, and they have so many key moments in that world. So it was great.'
Homeward bound
Cheika has made no secret of his interest in pursuing a coaching opportunity in the NRL, after working with the Roosters and coaching Lebanon at the Rugby League World Cup in 2022.
He has been linked to the Dragons, Souths and the Eels, and will resume duties with the Cedars later this year. But, mindful of the peril of becoming the guy floated for every NRL job vacancy, Cheika deflects when asked if interested in coaching the new PNG franchise in 2028.
'I've got some experience ... but I understand totally I am a bit of an outlier,' Cheika said.
'I'm sort of an outsider in both games, a bit, mate.
'I'm going to be pushing for that opportunity, but only in a way that if there's a club there that thinks they need the skill set I have, and along with the team that can put together, et cetera. That's how will work out.
'It's not something where I will go and put my CV in for everything that comes up. It's got to be if the team wants you, and sees the skill set you have and if that alignment occurs from the top.
'If that happens in league, that would be awesome because to master that challenge, that would be huge.'
Rugby future
With Rugby Australia focused soberly on stability and aligned high performance, the opinionated Cheika appears to be viewed as a square peg. And the still-smouldering second stint of Eddie Jones is also no help, either.
'It's pretty clear what their opinion is,' Cheika said. 'And I am not saying that in a negative way. That's the management decision, so that's fine. I have to then assess my options accordingly.'
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He believes the meeting with Waugh about the Wallabies job at a Milson Point restaurant was 'never a serious thing', and probably done out of respect for the third party who lined it up.
'It got put in a very public place, and it got out pretty publicly. As soon as that happened, I thought, oh, ok, this isn't too fair dinkum,' he said.
Cheika said he'll return home and then figure out his coaching future, be it in league or overseas rugby, where he has options to explore if interested.
'But I've got my businesses and stuff which I can get involved in and wait and see what unfolds,' Cheika said. 'I've got other opportunities [in Europe], but I actually want to go back and see my people and my family.
'I'm really grateful to my wife and kids. They've been so good about the whole thing, you know, moving around, supporting different teams.
'So maybe I will go back for a while, and then see what happens. I have no set plans at the moment.'
There are some options on the horizon in Australian rugby, despite Cheika's view. Simon Cron has a year left on his contract at the Western Force, and Kiss' promotion means the Reds are now in the market for a head coach for 2027.
But with sky-blue blood, Cheika has an old-school view on the notion of coaching Queensland.
'I can't coach Queensland,' Cheika says.
'No, seriously, I couldn't. It would be like me going to coach Munster against Leinster.
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'I understand it's a professional game and all that business. I get it. And I respect the guys at Queensland, I like (QRU chief executive) Dave Hanham a lot. He's a top fellow and they're good guys, and a good team. A great team, right?
'But there are just some rivalries … like, why would you disrespect the people from Waratahs that were on that journey back then (in 2013-2015)?
'I couldn't. I don't think it's right. I just don't think it would be the right thing to do.
'But that's me. I'm like that.'