Three jobs, four continents and World Cups in two codes: Why Cheika is getting no sleep | iainpayten
– ‘would you coach the Pumas to the 2023 Rugby World Cup?’ – Cheika found himself with three jobs and just enough hours in the day.Having recently returned from Japan, where the Green Rockets successfully avoided Top League relegation, Cheika will coach his first games for both Lebanon and Argentina.
“I won’t lie. When they went in for the first time to help out and they gave me the nice blue team kit, I had to put it on a little bit at a time, every day,” Cheika said.Credit:“I said to the boys ‘sorry, I can only wear this bit today and that bit tomorrow, because I need to get used to it’.“, but after several intense years, Ledesma decided to call time early this year.
“Not that you’ll be there forever but what you do will help what Dave [Rennie] is doing now, and what Dave does now will help someone later on. Maybe in the past in Australia it hasn’t been like that. One coach might have left it in a poorer place for the next. I always wanted that. It is something we have lacked and we are always so hard on our coaches, and there is always a sour taste left. I didn’t want that at all.
Cheika is not stressed about the loyalty question. He will remain a passionate supporter of his country but when the Wallabies play the Pumas, he’ll be with his team. And one won’t disqualify the other.