The coaching dominoes continue to fall as Cheika replaces McKellar at Leicester.

Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is not in the running for the vacant NSW Waratahs head coaching job after replacing Dan McKellar at Leicester Tigers.

Cheika’s last role was in leading Argentina to the World Cup semifinals. Cheika wanted to get into NRL coaching with the Parramatta Eels but was unsuccessful.

“At one point I was thinking about going to rugby league in Australia, which I always said I wanted to do, but it didn’t work out and I feel really lucky to get this opportunity.” told the Tigers website.

It is understood he was never a realistic contender for a return to the Tahs, where he won the 2014 Super Rugby title. His 2014 captain Dave Dennis, who took up a development role at the Tahs, is the only person at the club to have said: to former coach Darren Coleman after he was fired.

McKellar and former Wallabies head coach Scott Wisemantel are being considered candidates to replace Coleman.

Roar It was reported on Wednesday that the Waratahs are set to name Fiji World Cup coach Simon Rawalui as their high performance coach.

“I had never considered the Premiership and had no intention of coaching there until Leicester Tigers came to me. The opportunity to coach at the Tigers and lead this group of players changed my mind,” Cheika told the club website.

“It all happened relatively quickly, so any decision I have to make has to be based on where I want to be a part of and the group I want the opportunity to lead.

“That’s where I want to be.

“Everyone can see that this is the highest quality roster the club has ever had.

“I’m not going to lie and say I know them all to their bones. But that’s what I’ll be doing over the next few months, and I’ll be learning how to get the best results from them.

“The list is just paper. It’s about how the team comes together, how we bring together really good players and characters and get them to play the way they like to play and go out together and represent Leicester Tigers.”

McKellar left earlier this week after just one season in charge. It was earlier confirmed that his Australian scrum coach Dan Palmer, who assisted Eddie Jones at the World Cup, was also leaving the Tigers.

Cheika will be reunited with Argentina’s veteran skipper Julian Montoya, with whom he had discussions prior to the move.

“It all happened very quickly and he was obviously away preparing for Test rugby against Argentina so I wouldn’t get in his face or distract him. But I told him how I thought I would be a good fit.

“I don’t want to judge his teammates. I just wanted him to tell me whether he believed I was a good fit for this job and the club, the Tigers identity and the Leicester lifestyle. This club has some form of rugby.

“Because in the end it’s not my job to go to Leicester. I can visit Leicester and Leicester Tigers any time. “I came to the Tigers to be successful and to do that I need to be a good fit.”