Hot head
The 47 year old coach is a self-made man, but he isn’t without his faults and there’s a reason he has a six-month suspended ban hanging over his head until 2015. Cheika was found to have abused a sideline cameraman on the Waratahs’ trip to Durban in March and could miss the World Cup if he steps out of line again.
That indiscretion came mere weeks after he smashed the door of the coach’s box during the Tahs’ loss to the Brumbies in Canberra.
His passion breeds loyalty and respect within the playing ranks, but Australian rugby is a complex political minefield and there are others won’t take kindly to it.
Il Duce
It’s well-known that Cheika demands total control of the sides he coaches. ARU CEO Bill Pulver already admitted it was a mistake to grant Cheika’s predecessor, Ewen McKenzie, a virtual carte blanche in hiring his own staff and it’s hard to believe he’ll give Cheika the same leeway.
You’d hate to think Cheika will begin his reign on the wrong side of the boss…
Step Up
We’re not in Super Rugby anymore…
The ARU is hoping Cheika can do on an international level what he’s done the Waratahs, but Test match rugby is a different beast.
There are no second chances and no opportunities to put things right next week. Especially at the World Cup which will be his first major test as coach. A simple transference of style won’t work against the All Blacks whose relentlessness and adaptability see them out of trouble time and time again.
Cheika’s style is not dissimilar to McKenzie’s and despite coaching the Reds to Super Rugby success, he couldn’t muster a win over the All Blacks in four attempts.
The mess must be addressed
A new coach won’t automatically cure the Wallabies’ many ailments. People expect Cheika to be the saviour, but it goes way beyond him. It goes to the structure and inner-workings of the ARU and extends to the playing group as well. Rumours of rifts following the infamous Dublin drinking incident last year still abound.
Even if he can institute some kind of stability and sense, he’s got less than a year to get it done. It’s simply not long enough.
You can’t coach two teams at once
Coaching a successful World Cup side is a full-time gig. You can’t do it on the side of defending a Super Rugby title with the Waratahs as Cheika proposes to do.
Steve Hansen focuses on the All Blacks fulltime. Heyneke Meyer does the same with Springboks as does Stuart Lancaster with England. Even in league, State of Origin coaches, Mal Meninga and Laurie Daley don’t have club commitments – and their teams only play three games a year.