Michael Cheika Speaks!

[ceemec]

Would I be right in saying that he's two games away from being the only man ever to coach a winning HEC and a winning Super Rugby side?

[Alternative Ulster]

Head coach or any coach?

[offshorerules]

Some achievement if he is.

[ceemec]

Head coach or any coach?

Head coach and having double checked, yes, he would be. Others who had big jobs in both hemispheres were Ewan Mackenzie (Reds and SF) and Wayne Smith (Crusaders and Northampton).

The closest was possibly Heyneke Meyer who won the title with the Bulls in 2007 and had to quit the Tigers in January of 2009 for family reasons when they went to the HEC final.

It'll be a massive achievement for him and put him into the top bracket of coaches around the world given how he has rebuilt both Leinster and the Waratahs. The year before he arrived they had guys like Berrick Barnes, Dean Mumm, Lachie Turner, Drew Mitchell and Sitaleki Timani in the starting line up. All of them have left. They finished 11th the season before he arrived. For them to be sitting on top of the table now is a huge turnaround.

[Morf]

Tahs were always seen as the team less than their parts in recent times anyway without taking credit away from Cheiks.

[paddyor]

Don't follow S15 at all. But isn't there an issue with the conference system? That being that they don't play home and away for all the teams and basically the Aus conference is a piece of p*ss?(Also the mighty SA conference that the PRL wanted into bed with).

Fair play to him if he does do it.

WRT how high the esteem that S15 is held in comparison to NH club/provincial rugby down there, what does it say that he tanked at SF and it took him so long to get to the top in the HEC?

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Don't know what part Cheika has played in this but regardless of that, Kurtley Beale has been playing some great stuff recently. He's one of the most talented players I've ever seen, would be great if he kept his head screwed on and went on to have the great career that his talent deserves. He's just a joy to watch.

[Morf]

Don't know what part Cheika has played in this but regardless of that, Kurtley Beale has been playing some great stuff recently. He's one of the most talented players I've ever seen, would be great if he kept his head screwed on and went on to have the great career that his talent deserves. He's just a joy to watch.

Being a long, long way away from James O'Connor helps I think.

Think he is nearer family and moderating alcohol intake there too.

Happy to see a mercurial and delightful talent not messing it up.

[ceemec]

Beale is someone that has been messed around and handled poorly. He was brought into the Waratahs set up and was starting at outhalf for them at 18 years old. He was training with the Wallabies at 17. He was shoved into the most important position on the field and then criticised when it wasn't working out. They moved him to 15 where he was under less pressure and was able to showcase his skills but he was consistently moved back to 10 and, on occasion, to 12 to fill gaps.

His best rugby came when he was with Australia and getting a long run of games at 15 in 2010 and 2011. That came to an end when they decided he was an outhalf again and he cracked up.

This season, he has had by far his most consistent run of starts in any one position at 12 (15 of 16 games) and he has really excelled. Hopefully he's left there to continue to develop his game as a second five eighth. It's easy to forget the bloke only turned 25 earlier this year.

[rdsblue]

Cheika deserves a lot of credit for handling Beale so well and allowing him to play at 12 all the time (even though Beale has always said he sees himself as an out and out 10). There is an awful lot of talk in Aus though that Beale will go to League for next season partly because he's not getting time at 10 but mainly because of the way McEwan is treating him with the Wallabies. If the Tahs lost both Beale & Folau to RL Checks would have a hell of a job to replace them.

[ceemec]

Don't follow S15 at all. But isn't there an issue with the conference system? That being that they don't play home and away for all the teams and basically the Aus conference is a piece of p*ss?(Also the mighty SA conference that the PRL wanted into bed with).

Fair play to him if he does do it.

WRT how high the esteem that S15 is held in comparison to NH club/provincial rugby down there, what does it say that he tanked at SF and it took him so long to get to the top in the HEC?

As mediocre as his time was in Paris, his two seasons there are still arguably the most successful seasons they've had in the last 5 or 6. That club has major issues; Cheika's time there coincided with SF falling apart financially and being threatened with forced relegation for financial irregularities. They're not going to be a HEC standard side again any time soon despite being able to sign a couple of marquee names; the bulk of their squad is mediocre.

Regarding the S15, the Australian element isn't as weak as you guess. The Rebels and Force has been whipping boys but the Force have turned it around this season and missed out on the knock outs on the final day of the season. The Brumbies were the defeated finalists last season and are in the semi finals again this season.

All in all, it's certainly not the best season of Super Rugby ever but it's not the weakest.

[jpwoz]

Here are a few interviews , including Michael Cheika on ABC 7.30PM


http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s4060684.htm

http://2smsupernetwork.com/rugby-warata ... ls-looming

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-02/i ... tion=sport

http://2smsupernetwork.com/rugby-warata ... ading-form

[jpwoz]

As a test coach


http://www.2gb.com/article/alan-jones-michael-cheika

http://media.skyracing.com.au/POD/1/duBDce.mp3

http://www.triplem.com.au/brisbane/spor ... -overseas/


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-08/i ... tion=sport

http://www.2gb.com/article/alan-jones-michael-cheika-0

http://www.2gb.com/article/alan-jones-michael-cheika-0

http://www.2gb.com/article/alan-jones-michael-cheika-1

[Oldschool]

Would I be right in saying that he's two games away from being the only man ever to coach a winning HEC and a winning Super Rugby side?

I hope to f^ck he doesn't add the RWC to that list any time soon.

[jpwoz]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-08/i ... tion=sport

[jpwoz]

Reflecting on the year

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-07/i ... tion=sport

[jpwoz]

He doesn't say much and a pretty cr@p interview



http://2smsupernetwork.com/aru-michael- ... wallabies/

[jpwoz]

With Alan Jones after the England and Wales WC games


http://www.2gb.com/audioplayer/131601

http://www.2gb.com/audioplayer/132681

[jpwoz]

Before the WC

Michael Cheika - http://2smsupernetwork.com/aru-coach-mi ... -cup-squad