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Michael Cheika

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Michael Cheika
Cheika representing Australia
Date of birth (1967-03-04) 4 March 1967 (age 57)
Place of birthSydney, New South Wales, Australia
SchoolMarcellin College
Notable relative(s)Adam Doueihi (cousin)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Number 8
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1985–1989; 1995–1999 Randwick 286 ()
1989–1991 Castres ()
1991–1992 CASG Paris ()
1992–1994 Livorno ()
1997 New South Wales ()
Correct as of 15 May 2023
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1988 Australia U21
Correct as of 15 May 2023
Coaching career
Years Team
1999–2000 Petrarca Padova
2001–2005 Randwick
2005–2010 Leinster
2010–2012 Stade Français
2013–2015 Waratahs
2014–2019 Australia
2020–2021 Argentina (assistant)
2021–2023 Green Rockets (director)
2022–2023 Argentina
2024– Leicester Tigers
Correct as of 19 December 2023
Rugby league career
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
2020 Sydney Roosters (advisor)
2020–2022 Lebanon
Total 0 0 0 0

Michael Cheika (born 4 March 1967) is an Australian professional dual-code rugby coach and former player who is head coach of Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby.

Cheika was the coach of the Australia rugby union team from 2014 to 2019, and the Argentina national team between 2022 and the 2023 Rugby World Cup. In 2015, he received the World Rugby Coach of the Year award after leading Australia to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final. He is the only coach to have won the major rugby club competition in each hemisphere, winning the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009 and Super Rugby with the New South Wales Waratahs in 2014. During his career, Cheika was also head coach at Padova, Randwick and Stade Français.[1]

Cheika is a second-generation Lebanese Australian; his parents immigrated to Australia during the 1950s.[2][3]

Rugby union career

[edit]

Playing career

[edit]

Cheika was a No. 8 who played for Australia at under 21 level.[4] He played more than 300 games for Randwick, winning the Shute Shield seven times during a period when the Galloping Greens dominated Sydney rugby.[5]

As a player, Cheika made a mid-career move to Europe in 1989 where he had two seasons in the South of France with Castres Olympique in Division 1, and a season for Paris team Club Athlétique des Sports Généraux (later merged with Stade Français) in Division 2. He then joined Italian side Rugby Livorno alongside Randwick teammate David Knox from 1992 to 1994. He represented an Italian Selection XV against the All Blacks in 1993.[3][6]

Returning to Australia, he captained Randwick from 1997 and 1999,[4] and represented New South Wales on their spring tour of the UK in 1997.[3]

Coaching career

[edit]

Padova and Randwick

[edit]

Cheika had never coached before but in 1999 David Campese brought his attention to a coaching job in Italy. He applied for it and was successful. Cheika and Knox coached Petrarca Padova through a Heineken Cup campaign which did not yield any wins.[7]

Cheika returned to Sydney in 2001 when his father fell ill. With European coaching experience under his belt he secured the Randwick coaching ticket and guided his old club to a Shute Shield victory in 2004.[4]

Leinster

[edit]

In 2005, Cheika replaced Declan Kidney as head coach at Leinster. Mick Dawson, Leinster's chief executive, described it as a calculated punt.[7] Kidney had left in contentious circumstances having agreed to a move to rivals Munster before the season's end and Leinster were said to be in disarray.[8] Cheika brought assistant David Knox, his former teammate, with him to Ireland.[citation needed]

Cheika's first season culminated in a Heineken Cup semi–final against Munster, which Munster won 30–6, on their way to lifting the trophy.[citation needed]

Cheika's second season in charge was a difficult one, as Leinster were knocked out of the Heineken Cup at the quarterfinal stage by London Wasps. In 07/08 Leinster won the Celtic League trophy with a bonus point 41–8 victory against the Newport Gwent Dragons. It was Cheika's first trophy as Leinster coach and Leinster's first since the 2001 Celtic League.[9]

Leinster recruited Alan Gaffney to the management team as backs coach in the 2009 season, to join Kurt McQuilkin as defence coach and forwards coach Jono Gibbes.[10] Leinster were unable to retain their Celtic League title, and finished third behind Munster and Edinburgh. However, Cheika led Leinster to European success, guiding the team to the 2009 Heineken Cup Final. They became champions after topping their pool by beating London Wasps, Edinburgh and Castres Olympique. Leinster was seeded sixth and faced Harlequins in the quarterfinal, winning 6–5. In an all Irish derby at Croke Park against defending champions Munster, Cheika guided the team to a historic 25–6 victory to set up a final against Leicester Tigers. At Murrayfield Stadium the team secured a 19–16 victory over the Tigers, to clinch Leinster's first ever European title.[11]

In his final season in charge, Cheika led Leinster to top of the table in the revamped 2009–10 Celtic League, with 13 victories from 18 starts. In the semifinal, Leinster beat Munster 16–6, before losing to the Ospreys 17–12 at home at the RDS. The team was also unable to retain their European title. Leinster beat Clermont Auvergne 29–28, however lost to eventual champions Toulouse 26–16.

Cheika left his post with Leinster Rugby at the end of that season to become head coach for French Top 14 side Stade Français.

Stade Français

[edit]

Cheika was Director of Rugby of the Paris-based club between 2010 and 2012. It was reported that his time at Stade Français was less successful than at previous clubs. Off-field conflict and mediocre on-field results made his life difficult, culminating in him being sacked.[12]

During the 2010–11 Top 14 season, Stade Français finished 11th in the standings with only 10 wins from 26. However, in the 2010–11 European Challenge Cup, Stade Français clinched top seed after the Pool stage, winning all 6 of their matches. Their pool, however, did include Leeds Carnegie, București Oaks and Crociati Parma, with the latter two being semi-professional sides. Stade won the quarterfinal beating Montpellier 32–28. Cheika's team beat Clermont, who had dropped down from the Heineken Cup, by 29–25 in the semifinal, but narrowly lost to Harlequins 19–18 in the final at Cardiff.

In the 2011–12 Top 14 season, Stade Français improved on their previous standing, finishing seventh with 11 wins. The team again clinched the top seeding in the European Challenge Cup and beat Exeter Chiefs 22–17 in the quarterfinal. However, they lost in the semifinal by 32–29 to Toulon.

New South Wales

[edit]

Cheika was appointed as head coach of the New South Wales Waratahs in 2012 for the 2013 Super Rugby season.[1] In his first season, he guided the team to mid-table of 9th, with an even split of 8 wins and 8 losses. Some of their victories were notable, including the 25–20 win over the eventual (and defending) champions, the Chiefs, in round 10. The Waratahs turned over the Brumbies 28–22, before narrowly losing to the Crusaders 23–22 in Christchurch. Cheika also led the team against the British and Irish Lions, losing the match 47–17. He was responsible for signing Israel Folau from AFL side Greater Western Sydney Giants, who made a massive impact to the Wallabies in his debut season.[citation needed]

Cheika secured further key signings for the 2014 season including Kurtley Beale, Nick Phipps, Jacques Potgieter and another Rugby League convert Taqele Naiyaravoro. He created attacking backline combinations with Phipps and Bernard Foley as the halves, Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper in midfield and with Folau at fullback. The Waratahs dominant forward pack, led by Dave Dennis, created a platform for the skillful backs.

In just his second season in charge, Cheika coached the Waratahs to their first ever Super Rugby title, with the team finishing seven points ahead of their nearest rivals, the Crusaders.[13] The Waratahs defeated the Brumbies 26–8 in the semifinal which earned them a first home final against their Christchurch-based rivals, the Crusaders, whom the Waratahs had not defeated in over a decade. In the 2014 Super Rugby final the Waratahs beat the Crusaders by a single point, 33–32, in a nail-biter witnessed by a record Super Rugby crowd of over 61,007 people at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.[5]

During the 2015 Super Rugby season, the Waratahs campaign to retain their title started with a 25–13 loss to the Western Force in Sydney, which was later followed by a second loss to the Force in Round 13, losing 18–11 in Perth. Cheika led the Waratahs to a 29–24 win over the eventual New Zealand conference winners the Hurricanes in Wellington, and a 32–22 win over the Crusaders in Sydney. Across the 16 matches of the 2015 regular season the Waratahs conceded 11 yellow cards. Two players, Will Skelton and Tolu Latu, were suspended from playing during the latter stages of the tournament leading to Cheika's tactics being questioned. The Waratahs had lost to the Highlanders 26–19 in Dunedin in Round 5 and were defeated by them again in the semifinal in Sydney by 35–17. It was a surprise for some how well the Waratahs did, considering the team had to play for 10 consecutive weeks between their second bye and the knock out stage, which included their two away matches against South Africa opposition.[citation needed]

Australia

[edit]
2014–2015
[edit]

Cheika was appointed as the head coach of the Australia national team on 22 October 2014, with a three-year contract that would see him take the Wallabies through the 2015 Rugby World Cup.[14]

Cheika took over after Ewen McKenzie's shock resignation the previous week and had very little time with the team before Australia started their 2014 end of year tour. His first match as coach was a non-capped game against the Barbarians, with the Wallabies winning 40–36.[15] Cheika's first test match as coach was a 33–28 victory for Australia over Wales which was a record 10th consecutive win against them.

However, Cheika lost his first match against France a week later, with Australia being defeated 29–26. This for France was seen as revenge following Australia's dominant 3–0 series win over Les Bleus in June 2014 under former coach Ewen McKenzie. Cheika's team lost their next match against Ireland 26–23. Ireland had led 17–0 after just fifteen but three quick tries in the next fifteen minutes put Australia back in the game.

Australia then faced Rugby World Cup rivals England who had only win from their last six starts. England's forwards overpowered Australia in the match, however, to win 26–17. The result meant that Australia had lost three out of four test matches on their tour, their worst record since 2005. Cheika made it clear that the scrum needed to be fixed before the World Cup, and later sacked the forwards coach Andrew Blades.[citation needed]

Scrum coach Mario Ledesma was recruited to the Waratahs and began working on scrummaging with the Wallabies players that were in New South Wales.[16] Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham was brought in as backline and attack coach for the World Cup. Nathan Grey was appointed as defence coach.[17]

In the lead up to the 2015 World Cup, Cheika is credited for inventing Giteau's law which enabled overseas based players to play for Australia.[18]

During the 2015 Rugby Championship, Cheika made multiple changes to his side for each match despite the Wallabies' winning form. They opened their campaign with a 24–20 win over South Africa, winning in overtime with a late try from Tevita Kuridrani. They beat Argentina 34–9 a week later to set-up a decider with New Zealand in the final round. It was during that All Blacks match that Cheika started two specialized opensides for the first time since 2010, and they were both influential in the Wallabies 27–19 win. The win sealed the Rugby Championship for the Wallabies, their first ever Rugby Championship title, although including the former Trinations format it was the Wallabies fourth title since the competition began 1996. The Wallabies also achieved a 100% win rate for the first ever time in either format. However, the Wallabies failed to win the Bledisloe Cup, losing to New Zealand 41–13 in Auckland a week later.

Despite having only been in charge of the Wallabies for a year, Cheika led Australia to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final. They topped Pool A with victories over Fiji 28–13, Uruguay 65–3, England 33–13 and Wales 15–6. They narrowly beat Scotland in the quarter-final winning 35–34 after a controversial last minute penalty. They beat Argentina 29–15 in the semi-final to reach the final against the All Blacks. The Wallabies went down 16–3 at half time, but fought back in the second half to trail by only 21–17 with 10 minutes remaining. However a drop goal, penalty and a last minute try saw New Zealand claim an historic 34–17 victory. On 1 November, Cheika was named 2015 World Rugby Coach of the Year, becoming the first Australian coach to claim the title since Rod Macqueen in 2001, and the first non-New Zealander coach to win it since Ireland's Declan Kidney in 2009.[citation needed]

2016–2017
[edit]

In 2016, England toured Australia for a three-test series, the first of its kind. The series saw Australia lose all three tests to be "whitewashed" for the first time in a home series since South Africa won 3–0 in 1971. The first test, lost 39–28, saw England win back-to-back tests on Australian soil for the first time since 2003, while winning at Brisbane for the first ever time. The 39 points scored against Australia were the most points Australia had ever conceded by an English team. The second test saw England win 23–7, a record winning margin on Australian soil and a record third consecutive away win, to see England claim their first ever series win over Australia. The final test saw an accumulative score of 84 points, with England the victors 44–40.

He led Australia to second in the 2016 Rugby Championship despite losing the first two matches on an aggregate score of 71–17 against New Zealand. Cheika lead the Wallabies to their first win of the season against South Africa in round 3, winning 23–17, before defeating Argentina the following week 36–20. Australia narrowly missed out on their first ever victory at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, losing to South Africa in Pretoria 18–10. In the final week of the Championship, Argentina hosted Australia in London, where the teams became the first to play a Rugby Championship or Tri-Nations match outside any of the SANZAAR nations. Australia were the victors, 33–21. In the final Bledisloe Cup on 22 October, Australia were defeated 37–10, conceding 18 points in the closing 20 minutes. Australia's 2016 Spring tour saw mixed results, convincingly defeating Wales 32–8 in the opening week, before narrowly defeating Scotland with a 74th minute try by Tevita Kuridrani to win 23–22. Their third game saw Cheika completely change the team for the French clash, but still managed to claim the victory 25–23. The fourth and fifths matches on the tour saw the Wallabies lose their eight and ninth tests of the year, losing to Ireland 27–24 and England 37–21, with Ireland loss killing the Australian's chances of claiming a successful Grand Slam tour.

Australia's 2017 season started with a 37–14 victory over Fiji where Cheika gave four players their international debut. The following week, Australia lost to Scotland for the first ever time in Sydney, losing 24–19. It was the first time ever Australia had lost to Scotland twice in row at home, with the last loss, 9–6 in 2012, the last time Scotland had beaten Australia. Australia's final June test was a 40–27 victory over Italy, though for most of the game the teams weren't separated by many points with the score being 28–27 until the 75th minute. During the 2017 Rugby Championship, Cheika was heavily criticized for his constant changing off match day teams. It wasn't until the last round of the Championship that Cheika retained the previous starting XV in two consecutive matches, for the first time in his Career as Wallabies head coach. The Championship started with a 54–34 hammering to New Zealand, conceding 8 tries in 47 minutes. At the 50 minute mark, the score was 54–6, however Australia clawed back the margin scoring four tries in the last quarter of the game. The return fixture the following, Australia came within minutes of claiming an away victory to New Zealand, leading the All Blacks 29–28 at the 77th minute mark. However a Beauden Barrett try on the 78th minute, saw New Zealand claim a 35–29 victory, despite at one point being behind 17–0 down early on in the game. The third round saw Australia and South Africa draw for the first time since 2001, after the game ended 23–23. The result was repeated in the reverse fixture three weeks later, when it ended 27–27. Australia ended on a high, putting a solid performance against Argentina away, running out victors 37–20.

Ahead of the Wallabies Spring tour, Cheika led Australia to a 23–18 victory over the All Blacks in the third Bledisloe Cup. It was the first time since 2015 that the Wallabies had defeated the world champions. This win was backed up by a narrow 31–28 non-test victory over the Barbarians and a week later a 63–30 win over Japan in Yokohama, in what was both experimental sides for Australia. Australia's first major test on their Spring tour came on 11 November, where they faced and defeated Wales, 29–21. Despite the score being 13–6 heading into the final 10 minutes in the England test, Australia went on to lose their first tour match 30–6, conceding 3 tries. Australia's final test was a record defeat at the hands of Scotland, losing 53–24 in Edinburgh for the first time since 2009.

2018–2019
[edit]

The Wallabies endured a shocking run in 2018; in June, Cheika led the team to a series defeat against Ireland, losing 2–1 having won the first test 18–9. However, a first loss to Ireland at home since 1979 in the second test (26–21) followed by a close encounter in the third test (16–20), meant Ireland claimed a first ever series win over Australia. Despite losing the series, the Wallabies out scored their opposition in terms of tries, scoring 6 tries to 3. It was also a first for Cheika in the second test, naming an unchanged matchday 23 for two consecutive tests, retaining the same team from the first test.[19]

During the 2018 Rugby Championship, Cheika faced severe criticism over the team's form and a string of poor results. His job was openly questioned in the Australian media after the team won only two games during the Championship. Despite leading New Zealand 6–5 in the opening match, the Wallabies went onto lose the match 38–13, and despite being marginally behind the All Blacks in the second test, 7–14 at half time, they also went on to lose that match 40–12. Cheika's side did manage an impressive 23–18 victory over South Africa to retain the Mandela Challenge Plate. However, the following week, Australia lost to Argentina 23–19, which was the first time since 1983 that Argentina had beaten Australia on home soil. This meant the Wallabies dropped to a record low seventh place on the World Rugby Rankings and, after Round 5, their woes continued as they lost to South Africa 23–12. In the final round, Argentina led Australia 31–7 at half time in Salta. However a record come-back in the second half meant Cheika and his team won 45–34, to secure third place in the Championship. In the third Bledisloe Cup match, held in Japan, the Wallabies put on a better performance but failed to capitalise on their chances, seeing the All Blacks win 37–20.

Cheika's team endured a similarly dismal run in the 2018 autumn internationals, losing 9–6 to Wales (their first win over Australia since 2008) before salvaging a consolation 26–7 victory against Italy. The Wallabies ended 2018 with a sixth consecutive defeat to England, going down 37–18. The team's win–loss record, having won only four out of thirteen test matches, was their worst since 1958. A review of the team's performance was conducted by the administration of Rugby Australia, with the board electing to back Cheika through to the 2019 World Cup. The decision was widely derided in the Australian sporting press, with speculation rife that the administration were unable to afford to terminate Cheika's contract.[20]

2019 saw much change in the Australian set-up, beginning with the sacking of Stephen Larkham as attack coach and the introduction of a selection panel made up of Cheika, newly selected Director of Rugby Scott Johnson and Michael O'Connor who acts as an independent away from the national team coaching team. The new process started with a 35–17 loss to South Africa in the opening round of the 2019 Rugby Championship. The following week, Australia gained just their first win of the Championship, defeating Argentina 16–10. However it was the final match against New Zealand that proved a success, after winning 47–26, a joint record defeat for the All Blacks; through this result meant a win in the second Bledisloe Cup match meant Australia would reclaim the title for the first time since 2002. However, the Wallabies lost 36–0 to see the trophy remain in New Zealand.

At the 2019 Rugby World Cup Australia won three of their four pool matches but a close loss to Wales led to a quarter-final fixture with England. A defeat by 40–16 in that match ended the Australian campaign and the following day Cheika announced that he would resign as head coach by the end of the year.[21] His contract had been due to expire following the World Cup.[22]

Green Rockets

[edit]

In May 2021, Cheika was appointed director of rugby of the Japanese rugby union team Green Rockets.[23] Cheika left the Green Rockets in early 2023.[24]

Argentina

[edit]
2022–2023
[edit]

In March 2022 it was confirmed that Cheika would coach the Argentina national rugby union team from 2022 through to the 2023 Rugby World Cup,[25][26] with assistant coach Felipe Contepomi taking over post-World Cup.[27][28]

Cheika's first matches as coach came against Scotland in a three-test home series. Starting half-back Tomás Cubelli was ruled out of the series due to injury acquired in training, while starting fly-half Nicolás Sánchez was replaced in game one after twenty-one minutes of play (calf tear).[29] Argentina won the first game (26–18) in a tight back-and-forth match in San Salvador de Jujuy.[30] Although the first test was a close win for Argentina, the second was a dominant blowout win for Scotland (6–29), scoring four tries to zero. Scotland also kept Argentina scoreless in the second-half, levelling the series 1–1.[31][32] Scotland also levelled the overall record between the two sides (10–10). In the third and final test, the decider, Argentina clawed back a fifteen-point deficit to win the match in a spectacular last-minute final play in Santiago del Estero (34–31), winning the series 2–1.[33][34] It was Cheika's fourth win in total against Scotland out of seven matches.

In their first two tests of the 2022 Rugby Championship, Argentina played Australia at home, following SANZAAR's change to the Rugby Championship round-robin format, which will see some teams play two home matches, two away matches and two home-and-away matches against the three other teams of SANZAAR.[35] In round one Argentina lost 26–41 at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza after leading 19–10 at half-time.[36][37] In round two Argentina played Australia at Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan. Similar to their first round encounter, Los Pumas started the match in a rapid fashion, scoring four tries in just a half-hour of play, and lead Australia by sixteen points at half-time (26–10).[38] After Wallaby flanker Fraser McReight was yellow carded in the sixty-third minute, Argentina prop Thomas Gallo went over for his second try of the match, extending their lead out to the biggest margin of the match up to that point: twenty-one points (31–10).[38] A snappy reply from Australia's Len Ikitau saw them reduce the lead back to fourteen-points by the seventieth minute with only fourteen players on the field.[38] However, in the final three minutes of the match, Argentina scored two unanswered tries finishing the match with their biggest victory of Australia (48–17; thirty-one points),[38][39][40] beating their previous best victorious margin of fifteen points in 1983. After the match, Cheika stated: "I love these guys, they're my crew now[.]" adding, "I was up on the last try, cheering. But then I started crying because I know I probably shouldn't be doing this. It was a bit confusing for me, personally." [...] "But they're my boys now. That's my team. I will do everything I can to help them get success and enjoy rugby. They are paying me a lot of respect here and people are believing in the things that we are doing. I have to do everything I can to help them."[41][42]

Following Argentina's first two rounds at home, rounds three and round four were played away against New Zealand, the first test at Rugby League Park, Christchurch, the second at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton. Argentina scored the first points of the game via a penalty goal through Emiliano Boffelli in the seventh minute.[43][44] After ten minutes of play, and conceding a try, Boffelli scored another penalty goal for Argentina in the seventeenth minute.[43] Following Argentina's second penalty goal, New Zealand scored a converted try and two penalty goals to lead 15–6, before Boffelli kicked another two penalty goals before half-time, reducing the deficit to three points (15–12).[43][44] Argentina made the strong start to the second-half, capitalising on a re-start after a penalty goal Richie Mo'unga.[43] Flanker Juan Martín González received the ball before he ran around into space on the short side of the field, going through for a try.[43][44] Boffelli slotted the conversion, and, for the third time in the match, Argentina were leading. With vast bursts of physicality and many mistakes throughout the second-half, Boffelli added another six points to the score before full-time.[43][44] The match finished New Zealand 18, Argentina 25.[45][46] Historically, it was the first Argentina win against New Zealand, in New Zealand. It was the first time ever that New Zealand had lost three-straight home matches (the first two were against Ireland).[47][48] It is also the second, back-to-back history-making match for Argentina with Michael Cheika as coach, mentioning, "It's a first for me, I've never won a Test match in New Zealand." When asked about the matches specialty regarding beating his home country (Australia) vs. beating New Zealand, Cheika replied: "I don't look at it like that. I look at it from our point of view and growing the team and, in particular, towards the World Cup."[49] Following the historic result, Argentina jumped two placings in the World Rugby Rankings (9th to 7th)[50] to sit just 0.01 points below Australia in sixth.[51][52]

In the following round (four), Argentina suffered there heaviest defeat to New Zealand since 1997, losing 53–3.[53][54] In very wet conditions, it took Argentina thirty-two minutes of play to finally score any points, coming through the boot of Emiliano Boffelli,[55] by which point they had already conceded two tries and a penalty goal (score reading 17–3).[55] Conceding over double the amount of turnovers as New Zealand, Argentina went on scoreless while the All Blacks scored an additional five tries by the end of the match.[55] The loss to New Zealand put Argentina last on the Rugby Championship table,[56] having been first for the previous two rounds (13 August – 3 September 2022).[57][58] Despite the heavy defeat, Argentina went up one ranking (7th to 6th),[59][60] due to Australia (whom was in sixth, one placing above Argentina) losing at home to South Africa by more than fifteen points in the same round.[61]

In the same month (September 2022), former Australia scrum-half under Michael Cheika, Will Genia, said he could see the return of Cheika coaching Australia.[62] Genia told Fox Sports Australia, "I can see it [Cheika returning as coach of Australia] and I would love to see it because I know he still harbours aspirations for it," adding: "He loves coaching".[62]

Leicester Tigers

[edit]

On 27 June 2024, Tigers appointed Cheika as their new head coach.[63] On 2 October 2024, he was given two-week ban, with one week suspended, by the Rugby Football Union after being found guilty of "disrespecting" a match-day doctor during his first game in charge of Leicester.[64]

Rugby league career

[edit]

Coaching career

[edit]

Following his departure from Australian Rugby, Cheika took up a role within the National Rugby League (NRL) with Sydney Roosters Rugby League Team as assistant coach.[65] In September 2020, the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) announced that Cheika had joined the team prior to the 2020 Tri Nations Series, taking up an advisory role and re-joining former Wallabies coaching staff, Mario Ledesma.[66]

Lebanon

[edit]

In November 2020, Cheika was appointed head coach for Lebanon, the country of his parents' birth, ahead of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.[67][68][69][70] He retained this position even when appointed as Argentina's rugby union coach.[71][72]

The 2021 Rugby League World Cup was postponed to October and November 2022 and coincided with Argentina's 2022 Autumn International tour of Great Britain.[73] Although reported as notably difficult (dual-coaching),[74][75] Cheika maintained both positions. Cheika's almost entirely Lebanese Australian squad[76] included cousin Adam Doueihi.

In the group stage, Cheika's Lebanon played New Zealand, Ireland and Jamaica. Defeating the two latter teams,[77][78] Lebanon finished second in the group, behind New Zealand and qualified for the Quarter-finals. Lebanon played Group B winners Australia, losing 48–4 in Huddersfield.[79] Although maintaining their same height in the knockout stage, under Cheika Lebanon accomplished their best performance at a Rugby League World Cup (RLWC), finishing with a 2–2 record, and a point point difference of fourteen.

Statistics

[edit]

International matches as head coach

[edit]

Note: World Rankings Column shows the World Ranking Australia and Argentina was placed at on the following Monday after each of their matches

Matches (2014–2019; 2022–23)
Match Date Opposition Venue Score
(AUS; ARG first)
Competition Captain World Ranking
As coach of Australia
2014
1 8 November  Wales Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 33–28 2014 Autumn International Michael Hooper 3rd
2 15 November  France Stade de France, Paris 26–29 4th
3 22 November  Ireland Aviva Stadium, Dublin 23–26 5th
4 29 November  England Twickenham, London 17–26 5th
2015
5 18 July  South Africa Lang Park, Brisbane 24–20 2015 Rugby Championship Stephen Moore 5th
6 25 July  Argentina Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 34–9 5th
7 8 August  New Zealand Stadium Australia, Sydney 27–19 3rd
8 15 August  New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland 13–41 2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up match Stephen Moore 3rd
9 5 September  United States Soldier Field, Chicago 47–10 James Slipper 2nd
10 23 September  Fiji Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 28–13 2015 Rugby World Cup Stephen Moore 2nd
11 27 September  Uruguay Villa Park, Birmingham 65–3 Dean Mumm 3rd
12 3 October  England Twickenham, London 33–13 Stephen Moore 2nd
13 10 October  Wales Twickenham, London 15–6 2nd
14 18 October  Scotland Twickenham, London 35–34 2nd
15 25 October  Argentina Twickenham, London 29–15 2nd
16 31 October  New Zealand Twickenham, London 17–34 2nd
2016
17 11 June  England Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 28–39 2016 England tour of Australia Stephen Moore 2nd
18 18 June AAMI Park, Melbourne 7–23 4th
19 25 June Allianz Stadium, Sydney 40–44 4th
20 20 August  New Zealand ANZ Stadium, Sydney 8–42 2016 Rugby Championship Stephen Moore 4th
21 27 August Westpac Stadium, Wellington 9–29 4th
22 10 September  South Africa Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 23–17 3rd
23 17 September  Argentina nib Stadium, Perth 36–20 3rd
24 1 October  South Africa Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 10–18 4th
25 8 October  Argentina Twickenham, London 33–21 3rd
26 22 October  New Zealand Eden Park, Auckland 10–37 2016 Autumn International Stephen Moore 3rd
27 5 November  Wales Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 32–8 Stephen Moore 3rd
28 12 November  Scotland Murrayfield, Edinburgh 23–22 3rd
29 19 November  France Stade de France, Paris 25–23 3rd
30 26 November  Ireland Aviva Stadium, Dublin 24–27 3rd
31 3 December  England Twickenham, London 21–37 3rd
2017
32 10 June  Fiji AAMI Park, Melbourne 37–14 2017 June International Michael Hooper 3rd
33 17 June  Scotland Allianz Stadium, Sydney 19–24 4th
34 24 June  Italy Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 40–27 Stephen Moore 4th
35 19 August  New Zealand ANZ Stadium, Sydney 34–54 2017 Rugby Championship Michael Hooper 5th
36 26 August Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin 29–35 5th
37 9 September  South Africa nib Stadium, Perth 23–23 5th
38 16 September  Argentina GIO Stadium, Canberra 45–20 5th
39 30 September  South Africa Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein 27–27 5th
40 7 October  Argentina Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 37–20 3rd
41 21 October  New Zealand Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 23–18 2017 Autumn International Michael Hooper 3rd
42 4 November  Japan Nissan Stadium, Yokohama 63–30 Michael Hooper 3rd
43 11 November  Wales Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 29–21 3rd
44 18 November  England Twickenham, London 6–30 3rd
45 25 November  Scotland Murrayfield, Edinburgh 24–53 4th
2018
46 9 June  Ireland Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 18–9 2018 Ireland tour of Australia Michael Hooper 3rd
47 16 June AAMI Park, Melbourne 21–26 4th
48 23 June Allianz Stadium, Sydney 16–20 5th
49 18 August  New Zealand ANZ Stadium, Sydney 13–38 2018 Rugby Championship Michael Hooper 5th
50 25 August Eden Park, Auckland 12–40 5th
51 8 August  South Africa Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 23–18 5th
52 15 September  Argentina Robina Stadium, Gold Coast 19–23 David Pocock 7th
53 29 September  South Africa Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth 12–23 Michael Hooper 7th
54 6 October  Argentina Estadio Martearena, Salta 45–34 7th
55 27 October  New Zealand Nissan Stadium, Yokohama 20–37 2018 Autumn International Michael Hooper 7th
56 10 November  Wales Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 6–9 7th
57 17 November  Italy Stadio Euganeo, Padova 26–7 6th
58 24 November  England Twickenham, London 18–37 6th
2019
59 20 July  South Africa Ellis Park, Johannesburg 17–35 2019 Rugby Championship Michael Hooper 6th
60 27 July  Argentina Lang Park, Brisbane 16–10 6th
61 10 August  New Zealand Optus Stadium, Perth 47–26 6th
62 17 August Eden Park, Auckland 0–36 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up match 6th
63 7 September  Samoa Bankwest Stadium, Sydney 34–15 David Pocock 6th
64 21 September  Fiji Sapporo Dome, Sapporo 39–21 2019 Rugby World Cup Michael Hooper 6th
65 29 September  Wales Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo 25–29 6th
66 5 October  Uruguay Showa Denko Dome, Oita 45–10 6th
67 11 October  Georgia Shizuoka Stadium, Fukuroi 27–8 David Pocock 6th
68 19 October  England Ōita Stadium, Ōita 16–40 Michael Hooper  6th [80]
As coach of Argentina
2022
1 2 July  Scotland Estadio 23 de Agosto, San Salvador 26–18 2022 Scotland tour of Argentina Julián Montoya 7th
2 9 July Estadio Padre Ernesto, Salta 6–29 9th
3 16 July Madre de Ciudades, Santiago 34–31 Pablo Matera 9th
4 6 August  Australia Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 26–41 2022 Rugby Championship Julián Montoya 9th
5 13 August San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan 48–17 9th
6 27 August  New Zealand Rugby League Park, Christchurch 18–25 7th
7 3 September Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 53–3 6th
8 17 September  South Africa Estadio Libertadores de América, Buenos Aires 20–36 8th
9 24 September Kings Park Stadium, Durban 38–21 8th
10 6 November  England Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham 29–30 2022 Autumn International 6th
11 12 November  Wales Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 20–13 Pablo Matera 6th
12 19 November  Scotland Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh 52–29 Julián Montoya 7th[a]
2023
13 8 July  New Zealand Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 12–41 2023 Rugby Championship Julián Montoya 8th
14 15 July  Australia Western Sydney Stadium, Sydney 31–34 7th
15 29 July  South Africa Ellis Park, Johannesburg TBD TBD TBD
16 5 August  South Africa José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires TBD 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up match
17 26 August  Spain Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid TBD
18 9 September  England Stade Vélodrome, Marseille TBD 2023 Rugby World Cup
19 22 September  Samoa Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne TBD
20 30 September  Chile Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes TBD
21 8 October  Japan Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes TBD
22 27 October  France Stade de France, Paris 23–26 Julián Montoya 6th

Record by country

[edit]

Australia record

[edit]
Opponent Played Won Drew Lost Win % For Against
 Argentina 9 8 0 1 089 294 172
 England 9 1 0 8 011 186 289
 Fiji 3 3 0 0 100 104 48
 France 2 1 0 1 050 51 52
 Georgia 1 1 0 0 100 27 8
 Ireland 5 1 0 4 020 102 108
 Italy 2 2 0 0 100 66 34
 Japan 1 1 0 0 100 63 30
 New Zealand 14 3 0 11 021 262 488
 Samoa 1 1 0 0 100 34 15
 Scotland 4 2 0 2 050 101 133
 South Africa 8 3 2 3 038 159 181
 United States 1 1 0 0 100 47 10
 Uruguay 2 2 0 0 100 110 13
 Wales 6 4 0 2 067 140 101
Total 68 34 2 32 050 1746 1677
Last updated: 19 October 2019
Source: espnscrum

Argentina record

[edit]
Opponent Played Won Drew Lost Win % For Against
 Australia 3 2 0 1 067 108 89
 England 1 1 0 0 100 30 29
 New Zealand 3 1 0 2 033 40 112
 Scotland 4 2 0 2 050 95 130
 South Africa 2 0 0 2 000 41 74
 Wales 1 0 0 1 000 13 20
Total 14 6 0 8 043 327 444
Last updated: 22 July 2023
Source: espnscrum

Honours

[edit]

Australia


New South Wales

Stade Français

Leinster

Randwick

  • Shute Shield
    • Winner (as coach): 2004
    • Winner (as player): 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996

Personal life

[edit]

Cheika is the son of Lebanese migrants.[3] He is the youngest of three children and grew up in a working-class home in Coogee, New South Wales.[3] He previously worked for dress designer Collette Dinnigan, before starting a multimillion-dollar fashion business of his own called Live Fashion.[81][82] Cheika speaks fluent Arabic, French and Italian.[83][84] He was known among the Leinster rugby fraternity as Mic Check 1–2,[85] a humorous allusion to his name, Craig McLachlan's band and his eagerness that all facets of preparation were scrutinised and reviewed prior to matchday.

Cheika married in June 2008.[86] He and his wife Stephanie have four children.[87] He is a fan of the South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby league team[88] and is first cousin once removed of Adam Doueihi.[89]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Although Argentina's World Ranking was seventh following World Rugby's rankings update, Australia had played a match against Wales outside the international window. As there result was a victory, they jumped above Argentina, whom dropped down to eighth on the following rankings update.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Michael Cheika confirmed as Waratahs coach". The Australian. 18 September 2012.
  2. ^ Webster, Andrew (11 July 2015). "Michael Cheika: the innovator who can save Australian rugby". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e Bret Harris (2 August 2014). "Waratahs coach Michael Cheika a gentle giant with an iron will". The Australian. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Michael Cheika". Leinster Rugby.
  5. ^ a b "Cheika appointed Waratahs Coach". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  6. ^ "All Blacks not foreign to Michael Cheika". The Australian. 31 July 2015. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Wild card". Irish Independent.
  8. ^ "Declan Kidney". RTE. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009.
  9. ^ "Celtic League Final: Red card for Miller spoils Leinster win". The Telegraph. 2008.
  10. ^ "Leinster". RTE. Archived from the original on 3 April 2008.
  11. ^ "Chieka is rewarded after leading Leinster to glory". Belfast Telegraph. 2009.
  12. ^ "Michael Cheika to coach the Waratahs". Green and Gold Rugby.
  13. ^ "Waratahs win maiden Super Rugby crown". Australia: ABC News. 2014.
  14. ^ "Michael Cheika unveiled as Wallabies coach". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2014.
  15. ^ "Wallabies hold Barbarians in 40-36 thriller". Australia: ABC News. 2014.
  16. ^ Argentine scrum doctor brought in for Wallabies' World Cup bid
  17. ^ Stephen Larkham to join Michael Cheika's Wallabies coaching staff
  18. ^ "Winners and losers under Giteau's Law". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 April 2015.
  19. ^ Wallabies unchanged for Melbourne Test
  20. ^ "Wallabies coach Michael Cheika must be sacked: The damning numbers which prove his time is up". Fox Sports. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  21. ^ Decent, Ton. "Cheika quits: Wallabies coach falls on sword after World Cup exit". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  22. ^ "Michael Cheika will see out Wallabies contract, says Rugby Australia". The Guardian. London. 28 August 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  23. ^ Worthington, Sam (20 May 2021). "Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika appointed director of rugby at NEC Green Rockets". wwos.nine.com.au.
  24. ^ Doran, Christy (15 February 2023). "Exclusive: Time called on Cheika's stint with Japanese club in intriguing twist for England coach's replacement". theroar.com.au.
  25. ^ Doran, Christy (6 May 2022). "'I believe': The Cheika show returns as former Wallabies boss says Argentina can win World Cup". Australia: Fox Sports.
  26. ^ "'A wonderful opportunity': Michael Cheika appointed Los Pumas coach". RugbyPass. 12 March 2022.
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  28. ^ "Michael Cheika set for Argentina job with Felipe Contepomi on coaching ticket". The Irish Times. 9 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Rugby-Argentina halfbacks to miss rest of Scotland series". The Star. 5 July 2022.
  30. ^ English, Tom (3 July 2022). "Argentina 26–18 Scotland: 'Loss exposes soft underbelly of team spinning into reverse'". BBC Sport.
  31. ^ "Impressive Scotland level series with comfortable win in Argentina". The Guardian. London. 10 July 2022.
  32. ^ Rendell, Sarah (9 July 2022). "Scotland bounce back to send Argentina series to third Test decider". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  33. ^ "Argentina fight back to edge out Scotland in thriller and seal series". The Guardian. London. 17 July 2022.
  34. ^ Bean, Graham (16 July 2022). "How Scotland lost Argentina series in grim circumstances after letting 15-point lead slip in Santiago del Estero". The Scotsman.
  35. ^ "About The Rugby Championship". super.rugby. SANZAAR. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  36. ^ "Wallabies overcome gritty Argentina but lose Quade Cooper to injury". The Guardian. 7 August 2022.
  37. ^ Doran, Christy (7 August 2022). "Wallabies' stunning, bonus-point victory comes at a giant cost as Quade ruled out for the year". Australia: Fox Sports.
  38. ^ a b c d "TRC RD#2: Argentina Cruise To Victory Over Australia". super.rugby. SANZAAR. 14 August 2022.
  39. ^ Smale, Simon (14 August 2022). "Argentina crushes the Wallabies 48–17 in the Rugby Championship, All Blacks stun Springboks in Johannesburg". United States: ABC News.
  40. ^ "Rugby Championship: Argentina score seven tries in record win over Australia". The Guardian. London. 14 August 2022.
  41. ^ Ekin, Kim (14 August 2022). "Why Michael Cheika found himself crying after Los Pumas win". RugbyPass.
  42. ^ "Mixed emotions for Michael Cheika after Argentina thump Australia". The Irish Times. 14 August 2022.
  43. ^ a b c d e f "TRC RD#3: Argentina Make History in New Zealand". super.rugby. SANZAAR. 27 August 2022.
  44. ^ a b c d "Argentina beat the All Blacks for the first time on Kiwi soil". 1 News. 27 August 2022.
  45. ^ "New Zealand All Blacks fall to Argentina defeat in Rugby Championship boilover". Australia: ABC News. 27 August 2022.
  46. ^ "New Zealand 18–25 Argentina: Pumas create history with victory in Christchurch". BBC Sport. 27 August 2022.
  47. ^ Chapman, Simon (27 August 2022). "Michael Cheika rapt as Pumas deliver All Blacks brutal 119-year first record loss". wwos.nine.com.au.
  48. ^ McKenzie, Pete (2 August 2022). "Rugby's Greatest Team Confronts a Worrisome Prospect: Decline". The New York Times. Auckland, New Zealand.
  49. ^ Doran, Christy (27 August 2022). "'It's a first for me': Cheika's Pumas celebrate historic first win over All Blacks in New Zealand". Australia: Fox Sports.
  50. ^ "All Blacks v Argentina: New Zealand fall to worst World Rugby ranking after loss to Pumas". The New Zealand Herald. 29 August 2022.
  51. ^ "World Rugby Rankings". world.rugby. World Rugby. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  52. ^ "Australia and Argentina climb World Rugby Men's Rankings powered by Capgemini". World Rugby. 29 August 2022.
  53. ^ "'Pretty enjoyable night': All Blacks rack up half century in ultimate Bledisloe Cup warm-up". Australia: Fox Sports. 3 September 2022.
  54. ^ "All Blacks rebound to thrash Pumas 53–3 in Rugby Championship Test". Australia: ABC News. 3 September 2022.
  55. ^ a b c "TRC RD#4: All Blacks Strangle Pumas in Dunedin". super.rugby. SANZAAR. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  56. ^ McMorran, Steve (4 September 2022). "Coaches mull highs, lows in rollercoaster Rugby Championship". Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press.
  57. ^ "Rugby Championship: Argentina smash depleted Wallabies to move top of the table". Newshub. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  58. ^ Newboult, Colin (29 August 2022). "Rugby Championship: Wallabies back Reece Hodge preparing for Bok backlash in Sydney clash". Planet Rugby. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  59. ^ "World Rugby Men's Rankings". world.rugby. World Rugby. 6 September 2022. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  60. ^ "Wallabies sink to new low in World Rugby Men's Rankings powered by Capgemini". World Rugby. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  61. ^ Smale, Simon (3 September 2022). "Wallabies fall to heavy Rugby Championship defeat against the Springboks at the Sydney Football Stadium". United States: ABC News.
  62. ^ a b Doran, Christy (2 September 2022). "'He still harbours aspirations': Why history making Cheika could yet coach the Wallabies again". Australia: Fox Sports. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  63. ^ "Cheika appointed Leicester head coach". BBC Sport. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  64. ^ "Cheika banned for 'disrespecting' match-day doctor". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  65. ^ "NRL 2020: Michael Cheika joins Sydney Roosters coaching staff". sportingnews.com. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  66. ^ "Michael Cheika asesorará a Los Pumas en el Rugby Championship 2020" [Michael Cheika will advise Los Pumas in the 2020 Rugby Championship]. lospumas.com.ar. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  67. ^ "Lebanon appoint ex-Wallabies boss Michael Cheika as new head coach". Love Rugby League. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  68. ^ Bower, Aaron (16 October 2022). "Michael Cheika: 'Lebanese sport doesn't get many moments like this'". The Observer.
  69. ^ Prentis, Jamie (19 October 2022). "Rugby league: Michael Cheika on 'no-brainer' decision to lead Lebanon into World Cup". The National.
  70. ^ Edwards, Colleen (14 October 2022). "Connections are key for Cedars coach Cheika". National Rugby League.
  71. ^ Nicolussi, Christian (2 April 2022). "Cups king: How Cheika will juggle Argentina and Lebanon in cross-code campaign". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  72. ^ Payten, Iain (17 June 2022). "Three jobs, four continents and World Cups in two codes: Why Cheika is getting no sleep". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  73. ^ Harte, Eoin (11 October 2022). "Michael Cheika to coach two national teams in two sports in coming weeks". Pundit Arena.
  74. ^ Hassal, Greg (10 October 2022). "Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is swapping codes to take a team of Lebanese underdogs to the Rugby League World Cup". Australia: ABC News.
  75. ^ Cartwright, Phil (16 October 2022). "Rugby League World Cup: Michael Cheika on dual-code coaching roles". BBC Sport.
  76. ^ O'Loughlin, Liam (11 October 2022). "Rugby League World Cup 2022: Every nation's full squad". Sporting News.
  77. ^ Walsh, Dan (24 October 2022). "Three sin bins, prop hospitalised as Cheika's code-clashing challenge stays on track". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  78. ^ "Carnage as Lebanon book date with Kangaroos; Samoa's epic clash with Tonga sealed: WC Wrap". Australia: Fox Sports. 31 October 2022.
  79. ^ Eder, Billie (5 November 2022). "Rugby League World Cup as it happened: Addo-Carr leads Australia to 48-4 victory over Lebanon". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  80. ^ "England and South Africa on the rise in rankings". rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  81. ^ "Australia coach made millions selling jeans... now he's out to stitch England up". The New Zealand Herald. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  82. ^ Sarah Ferguson (4 September 2014). "How did this man turn Australian sport's biggest underachievers into winners?". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  83. ^ Vincent Hogan (23 May 2009). "Wild card". Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  84. ^ Bret Harris (22 September 2012). "Michael Cheika will bring his no compromise style to NSW Waratahs". The Australian. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  85. ^ "The 50 most powerful people in rugby union: 45. Michael Cheika". The Telegraph. London. 1 September 2015. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015.
  86. ^ "Cheika Wedding". 2008.
  87. ^ Orme, Steve (21 October 2014). "12 things you didn't know about Michael Cheika". Sportal. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  88. ^ "South Sydney fan and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika throws support behind Sam Burgess". 17 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  89. ^ "It's all relative: Rising rugby league star's ties to Michael Chieka". 3 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by Head coach
Argentina
Argentina

2022–
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by Head coach
Australia
Australia

2014–2019
Succeeded by