Cheika open to taking up NRL shot
MICHAEL Cheika has no desire to bang down the door of NRL clubs but has no doubt he could handle a head coaching job should it come his way.
Similarly, he believes the best rugby league coaches could handle rugby union with aplomb.
Cheika, the former Wallabies coach now in charge of Argentina, is in England as the head coach of Lebanon at the rugby league World Cup. The Cedars opened their campaign this week against world No.1 New Zealand and walked away with their heads held high.
So did their coach, who remains open to a cross-code switch should the opportunity present itself. Their World Cup opener didn’t hurt.
“The guys who can cross over are the guys who can pick up the game and understand the looks of the game and the technical side of the game pretty quickly,” Cheika said. “The management of men – that is a transferable skill.”
In union, Cheika has turned Argentina into a giant killer, securing wins over New Zealand and Australia in the Rugby Championship this year.
He now has his eye on claiming some big scalps at the rugby league World Cup. They face a decisive game against Ireland on Monday morning (AEDT) that will decide who finishes second in their group.
The prize for the winner is a quarterfinal date with the Kangaroos – on the same weekend Argentina have a Test match against England at Twickenham.
For Lebanon, the dream is to have an entire team of NRL stars by the 2025 World Cup in France. By then Cheika might be an NRL coach himself.
“In life, things happen,” Cheika said. I am not worried about it. See what happens.”