Former Wallabies boss Michael Cheika says he is unlikely to return to replace Eddie Jones as he points out that investing in coaching at Super Rugby level is key to an international revival.
Argentina boss Cheika also said there was “nothing” to link him with the NRL’s Wests Tigers and that he would like to be involved “in some way” in the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, adding that his immediate future is tied to Los Pumas.
After guiding Argentina to the semi-finals at the World Cup in France, Sheikha’s name has been linked with the position Jones left behind, with another former Wallabies manager, Robbie Deans, saying referees should not “go backwards” as Jones did.
Cheika said he was committed to his “loyalty” and was thinking of nothing else now than taking a break before helping Argentina reset their plans for the next World Cup.
He said he was “astonishing” at how poor the Wallabies had performed at a World Cup before being knocked out before reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, prompting a review by Rugby Australia.
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But Sheikha, who guided the NSW Waratahs to the Super Rugby title in 2014, a year before leading the Wallabies to the World Cup final in 2015, said he could not underestimate the importance of top domestic coaching to achieve international success.
He said that should be the priority for rugby referees as they look to rebuild the wreckage left by Jones.
“In my experience, coming back to coach the Waratahs in 2013, we won Super Rugby in 2014 and got to the World Cup final in 2015, I think coaching at Super Rugby level is just as important as who coaches the Wallabies,” Cheika said.
“It’s where the players get ready, and it takes a lot of investment to make it work.
“When players come to you (as an international coach), you rely on what the teams you lead do. That’s what everyone sees at the top, but the real change in recent years has been when (the) Super Rugby teams have done well and had good World Cups – the Reds in 2011, the Tahs in 2015.
“Success at the local level inevitably leads to success at the international level.”
Despite the Wallabies’ dismal World Cup performance and the aftermath, Cheika is confident things can quickly turn around with “a good plan and good people” on the bench.
“Hopefully, through this they will start to gain a real understanding of what needs to be done to get not just the Wallabies but the game itself back on the right track. I’m sure they will,” he told SEN.
“I know there’s a lot of negativity around, but that’s okay. We’re not taking anything for granted, and we’re getting to a point where we understand what’s needed. If you have a good plan and good people around you and treat them well, things can happen.
“Things can change. You have to stay the course and find a way to go. That’s the next step, and that’s what determines the way forward.”