How ruthless Michael Cheika transformed Leicester in less than a season

Telegraph

a day ago

When casting the final judgment on Leicester's performance across the regular season, the cold, hard facts are inescapable. A second-placed finish, a first home semi-final since the Tigers' last title win in 2022, 15 tries more than last season and the league's joint-top try-scorer.
But, as ever with England's biggest club, the devil is in the detail. For as much as this season has been one of rare success for Leicester, it has been one of almost inexplicable wackiness, too.
Think back to the sudden departure of previous head coach Dan McKellar and the swift arrival of the acclaimed Australian Michael Cheika; think back to his stadium ban after one match of the Premiership season; a hiding against Bristol at home; a complete implosion away at Toulouse.
Add in the saga to find Cheika's replacement as head coach, and a yet-to-be-announced fly-half successor to Handré Pollard, and it has been nothing if not eventful at Oval Park and Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Of course, the Tigers have won nothing yet. And a club of such stature would never admit that anything other than silverware in the cabinet would rank as a success.
But when you compare eighth with second, with an attendance of more than 20,000 expected at Welford Road on Saturday, it would be unfair to judge Cheika's sole season in the East Midlands as anything other than triumphant no matter the result against Sale. The Australian, from the pits of panic, has put the club back on the straight and narrow.
Cheika targets slipping standards
Cheika was announced as the replacement for his compatriot, McKellar, in late June last year after a season in which the Tigers finished eighth in the Premiership table. McKellar had been hamstrung by the lack of an attack coach but his services were dispensed with after Leicester's standards had slipped.
According to captain Julián Montoya, it was standards and mentality which Cheika looked to address from the off.
'The relationship he has with the players, how much he cares about it,' says Montoya, who was coached by Cheika during the Australian's stint as Argentina coach between 2022 and 2023. 'His training is unbelievable. He has a lot of experience; the standards he's brought, the mentality he's brought. He is one of the best coaches in the world and we are very lucky to have been coached by him.
'But I couldn't just say one thing. He's a brilliant, world-class coach – and a brilliant guy.'
Cheika himself added: 'From the very start, we needed to re-establish the way things were done – from a preparation point of view and, maybe, the expectations, I suppose.'
The emphasis on standards and expectations worked, as Leicester won five of their opening six league matches under Cheika, including a dramatic last-play triumph over Exeter on the opening Premiership weekend – a win which also led to the 58-year-old receiving a ban for some verbal wrangling with the independent match-day doctor.
Reffell's Winning Try (v Exeter Chiefs) pic.twitter.com/D9dwkqa7jl
— Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) October 1, 2024
It was all looking tickety-boo for Leicester under Cheika. The Australian had redeveloped a toughness and stubbornness – that indefinable quality of being difficult to beat – in his side that the Tigers had been missing since the days of Steve Borthwick and Richard Wigglesworth.
Cheika was trusting his instincts and embracing the potential of youth – Joe Heyes, Jack van Poortvliet, Joe Woodward and Emeka Ilione have all either nailed down starting spots or emerged as Test-class players this season – while the addition of Peter Hewat as attack coach was proving a shrewd acquisition by the Tigers. Leicester's attacking play, at times, has been dashing; and it is no coincidence that Ollie Hassell-Collins finished as joint top try-scorer in the Premiership.
But then came two sobering defeats.
Bad defeats threaten to derail season
The first by Bristol at home, where the Tigers shipped 54 points at Welford Road – and 40 in the first half. Less than a month later came the most chastening of all, as Leicester were obliterated 80-12 by Toulouse in the south of France. Cheika stopped short of describing that match as a turning point in the season, but there was a 'certain reckoning' about it.
'For myself, you cannot go past the Toulouse game,' Cheika said. ''All right, there are some things which I really need to attend to here.' For myself as well – as a coach. That hadn't happened to me before, so I wanted to take something from it. I made some adjustments there but it is a building process along the way, about laying down foundations which will help us when we're under the pump to get us through.
'It felt like it was something which gave me insight into things which I really needed to concentrate on in the short term.'
What Cheika concentrated on was defence, with the Australian making an immediate change to his coaching team. Matt Everard, the club's popular former flanker and now head coach of newly rebooted Worcester, was replaced by David Kidwell, who coached the Pumas' defence under Cheika.
The move came as a prime example of Cheika identifying something which was not to his liking and, for better or worse, acting ruthlessly to make sure it was. There was also the mid-season arrival of Newcastle flyer Adam Radwan, who has been a revelation since making his Tigers debut in January.
Eight tries in eight games 🔥
Adam Radwan cannot stop scoring 💨 #GallagherPrem | #LEIvSAL pic.twitter.com/tDBFKvVzoA
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) May 9, 2025
Ruthless mid-season changes pay-off
Cheika's changes led to a reaction from the players. No one – surely not even Cheika himself – saw the 33-0 victory at Northampton at the end of March coming. Then came the most impressive three-match stint of Cheika's tenure to date, as Leicester vanquished Bristol at Ashton Gate – avenging their December shellacking – demolished Harlequins at Welford Road, and overcame a George Ford-inspired Sale in one of the Premiership games of the season so far.
There was also the public reveal of Cheika, ever the motivator, ever the savant, using a club flag as a symbolic semaphore to motivate his troops.
That @LeicesterTigers mystery flag 🚩 @Sarraelgan does her best but Head Coach Michael Cheika is giving nothing away… 🤔 pic.twitter.com/EXUc6Gf7Lp
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 20, 2025
It worked. Leicester's purple patch meant that, come the final day and the hosting of Newcastle, the Tigers virtually had a home semi-final sewn up with a match to spare.
That, allied to the announcement that former lock Geoff Parling will return to the club as head coach next season, and the probable arrival of an international fly-half, and a wave of optimism engulfed Welford Road, after a season in which the Tigers suffered one of their darkest ever on-field days.
Despite the turnaround and adulation from fans, Cheika would not entertain any chatter about this season having already been a success or, even, of leaving a legacy at Welford Road.
'One year is not enough to leave any type of legacy whatsoever,' Cheika said. 'The relationships that I've been able to build between players, fans and the club has been respectful and enjoyable.
'I'd like the fans to think that I was one of them – even if it was just for one year. That's not easy because I have been the enemy here before – [from an] international and club point of view.
'The obvious is to try and win that trophy. We have to try and do every thing we can to do that – that's the best thing we can do to build the future of the club. Play well, one step at a time, this weekend – that's it, it's pretty much a final there and then.'
Cheika might not believe he has done enough to earn a Leicester legacy, but two matches will be the difference between him either perhaps being proven right, or him having no choice in the matter at all.