Oz pundit wants Kiwi to coach Wallabies

Australian rugby pundit Greg Growden has suggested it could be up to a Kiwi to turn around the fortunes of the Wallabies.

Aussie coach Michael Cheika is reportedly set to face the Rugby Australia board tomorrow, and Growden expects staffing changes.

Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Martin Devlin, Growden said there’s a strong chance Cheika is no longer at the helm for the Wallabies come tomorrow afternoon.

“I think there’s going to be casualties, and a lot of people are hoping it’s going to be Cheika,” he said. “He’s in a bit of strife, and I think no matter what, there will be some changes. If he doesn’t go, I think you’ll see some of the assistant coaches or some of the management team go.”

Although the meeting is tomorrow, Growden said he wouldn’t expect to hear anything from Rugby Australia about any possible changes until later in the week.

It has been a tough period for the Australian national team since Cheika took over in late 2014.

In 58 matches, they’ve staggered to 28 wins and as many losses, with two draws along the way.

In that period, they lost to Wales for the first time in 14 tests, and suffered multiple defeats against Argentina and Scotland.

Growden suggested that should Cheika be sacked, the opportunity could be perfect for New Zealand coaches looking to make the step up to international level, while Australian Scott Johnson, Scotland’s director of rugby, was another candidate.

“Why not look at Dave Rennie or Scott Robertson or another New Zealand coach?

“There is a bit of animosity towards New Zealand coaches here after the Robbie Deans experiment, but Scott Johnson could do it with a couple of people here, could get Brad Thorn involved.

“There are options and there are quite a number of capable Australian coaches coaching overseas at the moment.

“There are some Australian coaches, but surely there are some New Zealand coaches who would want the challenge of coaching the Wallabies. It’s not a bad job because they can’t get much worse.”