men’s
super-rugby-pacific
Ex-Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika is poised for a dramatic comeback with the NSW Waratahs, having ended his pursuit of a head coaching role in the NRL.
Having returned to Australia after a tenure in the Gallagher Premiership managing the Leicester Tigers, Cheika has been serving as an assistant coach for the Sydney Roosters this season under a twelve-month agreement.
Over a decade has passed since the 59-year-old departed the Waratahs—whom he guided to a Super Rugby championship in 2014—to assume the full-time role with the Wallabies after juggling both positions for a year. In the years following his departure, the franchise has made just a single semi-final appearance.
A disappointing eighth-place finish in an 11-team tournament last season, marked by nine defeats in 14 matches, led to the dismissal of Dan McKellar—the same man Cheika succeeded at Welford Road—from his coaching post in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
This off-season, the Waratahs have focused on reforming their historic lineup, bringing back seasoned playmakers Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps. The duo, who formed the starting halves pairing for the 2014 championship run, are returning from stints in Japan with the Kubota Spears and Green Rockets.
Argentina
Australia
The Sydney-based franchise resorted to Cheika, who previously steered the team from 2012 to 2015, after several of their primary coaching targets declined the position.
Though they pursued former Ireland and Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt, he has since committed to a coach development advisory role with Ulster. Meanwhile, both Scott Robertson and Eddie Jones’s former assistant Scott Wisemantel—currently with the Parramatta Eels—are also reported to have turned down the offer.
This appointment will halt ongoing rumors connecting Cheika to various open NRL head coaching spots. However, before starting his new chapter with the Waratahs—an appointment expected to be finalized as early as tomorrow—he will first guide the Lebanese national team through the Rugby League World Cup.
Reports suggest Cheika is on the verge of signing a one-year contract that includes a player-coach option for an additional year, giving him the flexibility to explore other opportunities following the conclusion of the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
It is highly anticipated that ex-Wallabies standouts Stephen Hoiles and Wycliff Palu, currently coaching abroad in America and Japan, will join his backroom staff as assistants.
