 Cheika representingAustralia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1967-03-04)4 March 1967 (age 58) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Sydney,New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Marcellin College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Adam Doueihi (cousin) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Cheika (born 4 March 1967) is an Australian professionaldual-coderugby coach and former player who is head coach ofLeicester Tigers in England'sPremiership Rugby.
Cheika was the coach of theAustralia rugby union team from 2014 to 2019, and theArgentina national team between 2022 and the2023 Rugby World Cup. In 2015, he received theWorld Rugby Coach of the Year award after leading Australia to the2015 Rugby World Cup final. He is the only coach to have won the major rugby club competition in each hemisphere, winning theHeineken Cup withLeinster in 2009 andSuper Rugby with theNew South Wales Waratahs in 2014. During his career, Cheika was also head coach atPadova,Randwick andStade Français.[1]
Cheika is a second-generationLebanese Australian; his parents immigrated toAustralia during the1950s.[2][3]
Cheika was a No. 8 who played for Australia at under 21 level.[4] He played more than 300 games forRandwick, winning theShute 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 withCastres Olympique in Division 1, and a season for Paris teamClub Athlétique des Sports Généraux (later merged withStade Français) in Division 2. He then joined Italian sideRugby Livorno alongside Randwick teammateDavid 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 representedNew South Wales on their spring tour of the UK in 1997.[3]
Cheika had never coached before but in 1999David Campese brought his attention to a coaching job in Italy. He applied for it and was successful. Cheika and Knox coachedPetrarca Padova through aHeineken 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 theRandwick coaching ticket and guided his old club to aShute Shield victory in 2004.[4]
In 2005, Cheika replacedDeclan 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 assistantDavid 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 byLondon Wasps. In 07/08 Leinster won theCeltic League trophy with a bonus point 41–8 victory against theNewport Gwent Dragons. It was Cheika's first trophy as Leinster coach and Leinster's first since the 2001 Celtic League.[9]
Leinster recruitedAlan Gaffney to the management team as backs coach in the 2009 season, to join Kurt McQuilkin as defence coach and forwards coachJono Gibbes.[10] Leinster were unable to retain theirCeltic League title, and finished third behind Munster andEdinburgh. However, Cheika led Leinster to European success, guiding the team to the2009 Heineken Cup Final. They became champions after topping their pool by beatingLondon Wasps, Edinburgh andCastres Olympique. Leinster was seeded sixth and facedHarlequins in the quarterfinal, winning 6–5. In an all Irish derby atCroke Park against defending champions Munster, Cheika guided the team to a historic 25–6 victory to set up a final againstLeicester Tigers. AtMurrayfield 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 revamped2009–10 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 beatClermont Auvergne 29–28, however lost to eventual championsToulouse 26–16.
Cheika left his post with Leinster Rugby at the end of that season to become head coach for FrenchTop 14 sideStade Français.
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 the2010–11 Top 14 season, Stade Français finished 11th in the standings with only 10 wins from 26. However, in the2010–11 European Challenge Cup, Stade Français clinched top seed after the Pool stage, winning all 6 of their matches. Their pool, however, did includeLeeds Carnegie,București Oaks andCrociati 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 atCardiff.
In the2011–12 Top 14 season, Stade Français improved on their previous standing, finishing seventh with 11 wins. The team again clinched the top seeding in theEuropean Challenge Cup and beatExeter Chiefs 22–17 in the quarterfinal. However, they lost in the semifinal by 32–29 toToulon.
Cheika was appointed as head coach of theNew South Wales Waratahs in 2012 for the2013 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 theBritish and Irish Lions, losing the match 47–17. He was responsible for signingIsrael Folau from AFL sideGreater 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 includingKurtley Beale,Nick Phipps,Jacques Potgieter and another Rugby League convertTaqele Naiyaravoro. He created attacking backline combinations with Phipps andBernard Foley as the halves, Beale andAdam Ashley-Cooper in midfield and with Folau at fullback. The Waratahs dominant forward pack, led byDave Dennis, created a platform for the skillful backs.
In just his second season in charge, Cheika coached the Waratahs to their first everSuper Rugby title, with the team finishing seven points ahead of their nearest rivals, the Crusaders.[13] The Waratahs defeated theBrumbies 26–8 in the semifinal which earned them a first home final against theirChristchurch-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 atANZ Stadium in Sydney.[5]
During the2015 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 andTolu 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]
Cheika was appointed as the head coach of theAustralia national team on 22 October 2014, with a three-year contract that would see him take the Wallabies through the2015 Rugby World Cup.[14]
Cheika took over afterEwen McKenzie's shock resignation the previous week and had very little time with the team before Australia started their2014 end of year tour. His first match as coach was a non-capped game against theBarbarians, with the Wallabies winning 40–36.[15] Cheika's first test match as coach was a 33–28 victory for Australia overWales which was a record 10th consecutive win against them.
However, Cheika lost his first match againstFrance 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 inJune 2014 under former coach Ewen McKenzie. Cheika's team lost their next match againstIreland 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 rivalsEngland 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 coachAndrew Blades.[citation needed]
Scrum coachMario Ledesma was recruited to the Waratahs and began working on scrummaging with the Wallabies players that were in New South Wales.[16] Brumbies head coachStephen 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 inventingGiteau's law which enabled overseas based players to play for Australia.[18]
During the2015 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 overSouth Africa, winning in overtime with a late try fromTevita Kuridrani. They beatArgentina 34–9 a week later to set-up a decider withNew 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 inAuckland a week later.
Despite having only been in charge of the Wallabies for a year, Cheika led Australia to the2015 Rugby World Cup final. They topped Pool A with victories overFiji 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 sinceRod Macqueen in 2001, and the first non-New Zealander coach to win it since Ireland'sDeclan Kidney in 2009.[citation needed]
In 2016, England toured Australia for athree-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 in1971. 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 the2016 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 atLoftus Versfeld Stadium, losing to South Africa in Pretoria 18–10. In the final week of the Championship, Argentina hosted Australia inLondon, 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's2016 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 overItaly, 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 the2017 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 aBeauden 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 theBarbarians and a week later a 63–30 win overJapan inYokohama, 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.
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 the2018 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 theMandela 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 inSalta. 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 inJapan, 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 the2018 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 ofRugby Australia, with the board electing to back Cheika through to the2019 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 RugbyScott Johnson andMichael 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 the2019 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 the2019 Rugby World Cup Australia won three of their four pool matches but a close loss toWales led to a quarter-final fixture withEngland. 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]
In May 2021, Cheika was appointed director of rugby of the Japanese rugby union teamGreen Rockets.[23] Cheika left the Green Rockets in early 2023.[24]
In March 2022 it was confirmed that Cheika would coach theArgentina national rugby union team from 2022 through to the2023 Rugby World Cup,[25][26] with assistant coachFelipe Contepomi taking over post-World Cup.[27][28]
Cheika's first matches as coach came againstScotland in a three-testhome series. Starting half-backTomás Cubelli was ruled out of the series due to injury acquired in training, while starting fly-halfNicolás 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 inSan 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 theoverall 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 inSantiago 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 the2022 Rugby Championship, Argentina playedAustralia at home, followingSANZAAR'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 ofSANZAAR.[35] Inround one Argentina lost 26–41 atEstadio Malvinas Argentinas,Mendoza after leading 19–10 at half-time.[36][37] Inround two Argentina played Australia atEstadio 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] AfterWallabyflankerFraser McReight was yellow carded in the sixty-third minute, ArgentinapropThomas 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'sLen 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 in1983. 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, roundsthree andround four were played away againstNew Zealand, the first test atRugby League Park,Christchurch, the second atWaikato Stadium,Hamilton. Argentina scored the first points of the game via apenalty goal throughEmiliano Boffelli in the seventh minute.[43][44] After ten minutes of play, and conceding a try,Boffelli scored anotherpenalty 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, beforeBoffelli 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 goalRichie Mo'unga.[43]FlankerJuan 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 againstIreland).[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 theWorld Rugby Rankings (9th to 7th)[50] to sit just 0.01 points belowAustralia in sixth.[51][52]
In thefollowing round (four), Argentina suffered there heaviest defeat to New Zealand since1997, 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 ofEmiliano 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] Theloss to New Zealand put Argentina last on theRugby Championship table,[56] having been first for the previoustwo rounds (13 August – 3 September 2022).[57][58] Despite the heavy defeat, Argentina went up oneranking (7th to 6th),[59][60] due toAustralia (whom was in sixth, one placing above Argentina) losing at home toSouth Africa by more than fifteen points in the same round.[61]
In the same month (September 2022), formerAustralia scrum-half under Michael Cheika,Will Genia, said he could see the return of Cheika coachingAustralia.[62] Genia toldFox 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]
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] In January 2025, it was confirmed that he would be stepping down as head coach following the conclusion of his contract at the end of the season.[65]
Following his departure from Australian Rugby, Cheika took up a role within theNational Rugby League (NRL) withSydney Roosters Rugby League Team as assistant coach.[66] In September 2020, theArgentine Rugby Union (UAR) announced that Cheika had joined the team prior to the2020 Tri Nations Series, taking up an advisory role and re-joining former Wallabies coaching staff,Mario Ledesma.[67]
In November 2020, Cheika was appointed head coach forLebanon, the country of his parents' birth, ahead of the2021 Rugby League World Cup.[68][69][70][71] He retained this position even when appointed asArgentina's rugby union coach.[72][73]
The2021 Rugby League World Cup was postponed to October and November 2022 and coincided with Argentina's2022 Autumn International tour ofGreat Britain.[74] Although reported as notably difficult (dual-coaching),[75][76] Cheika maintained both positions. Cheika's almost entirelyLebanese Australian squad[77] included cousinAdam Doueihi.
In the group stage, Cheika's Lebanon playedNew Zealand,Ireland andJamaica. Defeating the two latter teams,[78][79] Lebanon finished second in the group, behindNew Zealand and qualified for theQuarter-finals. Lebanon playedGroup B winnersAustralia, losing48–4 inHuddersfield.[80] Although maintaining their same height in the knockout stage, under Cheika Lebanon accomplished their best performance at aRugby League World Cup (RLWC), finishing with a 2–2 record, and a point point difference of fourteen.
Note: World Rankings Column shows the World Ranking Australia and Argentina was placed at on the following Monday after each of their matches
| 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 | |||||||
| 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 | |||||||
Australia
New South Wales
Stade Français
Leinster
Randwick
Cheika is the son of Lebanese migrants.[3] He is the youngest of three children and grew up in a working-class home inCoogee, New South Wales.[3] He previously worked for dress designerCollette Dinnigan, before starting a multimillion-dollar fashion business of his own called Live Fashion.[82][83] Cheika speaks fluent Arabic, French and Italian.[84][85] He was known among the Leinster rugby fraternity asMic Check 1–2,[86] 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.[87] He and his wife Stephanie have four children.[88] He is a fan of theSouth Sydney RabbitohsRugby league team[89] and is first cousin once removed ofAdam Doueihi.[90]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Head coach Argentina 2022– | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Head coach Australia 2014–2019 | Succeeded by |
|
