Michael Cheika’s mandate as a boss of Leicester Tigers will end after the end of the 2024-25 season and the Australian develops new opportunities in rugby.
A potential decision could bring him back to direct the Wallabies, with recent reports saying that he is a competitor to succeed the current boss of Australia Joe Schmidt this fall.
Schmidt should leave his role with the team later this year after the rugby championship. His departure will be a big blow for Rugby Australia, after the impressive performances of the Wallabies during their tour to the northern hemisphere in 2024.
But Rugby Australia seems to look at several new candidates to withdraw the reigns of the former boss of Ireland and Leinster, the Sydney Morning Herald saying that Cheika was spotted to have a coffee with the director general of Rugby Australia Phil Waugh in North Sydney Tuesday.
Cheika is supposed to take a break under the six nations with the Premiership season currently pending until March 21.
Waugh previously said that Rugby Australia had an existing restricted list of options while the team seems to build before the 2027 rugby world cup.
The boss of the Tigers, Michael Cheika, was reportedly seen having a coffee with the rugby boss Australia Phil Waugh
Speculation rises that Cheika could take over from Joe Schmidt as a new Wallabies head coach
Waugh (photo) and Rugby Australia are currently away from potential replacements for Schmidt, even Ronan O’Gara throwing his name into consideration
The other names that have been presented to assume the role include the Kissan du Queensland and the Brumbies Stephen Larkham.
The Sydney Morning Herald also adds that the news of Schmidt’s departure has aroused “the incoming interest in quality candidates from around the world”.
Ronan O’Gara is the one who expressed his interest in the position, according to the point of sale.
Cheika, who played for Australia as No. 8 at age level, had a large coach career, starting his trip with Petrarca Padova in 1999, before continuing to train Leinster, Stade Français and Waratahs.
He would be appointed the owner of Wallabies in 2014 to supervise 68 tests before separating the team from the team in 2019, ending his mandate with a 50%percentage of victory.
After leaving his role, he was going to train Argentina, but said that he would one day like to return to supervise the procedures in Australia.
“I think that in a set of different circumstances, things would be different,” he said.
For Cheika, timing could not be more perfect. He will leave his role with Leicester in May and that will give him a lot of time to study the things that happen to the Wallabies Sous Schmidt during the British and Irish tour of the lions of this summer.
Schmidt’s last match with Australia will be the conflict of October Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand in Perth.