Cheika will lead side to World Cup, says Castle
Rugby Australia boss insists coach is not in jeopardy but that he may need help
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has received the dreaded vote of confidence from his boss. Cheika has the full support of the Rugby Australia board and will see out his contract, according to chief executive Raelene Castle.
But Castle also said the governing body “can’t just ignore” the team’s below par performances across the first two Bledisloe Cup tests.
Castle will meet Cheika today to discuss Australia’s form and what more needs to be done to bridge the growing gap between the Wallabies and All Blacks.
Castle said there was no prospect Cheika would be sacked before the end of his current deal, which runs out after the 2019 World Cup.
“He’s contracted through to the World Cup. He’s got a plan, we’re across that plan, we’re comfortable with it,” Castle told reporters in Brisbane yesterday.
“But clearly, you can’t just ignore the performances, they are not acceptable.
“So it’s about what can we do to support him as an organisation to make sure he’s got what he needs to make sure the Wallabies are successful as we lead into that World Cup.
“Certainly from our perspective, the board and myself, our support’s behind Michael Cheika.”
Castle said Rugby Australia would explore if Cheika and his coaching staff needed “extra support” to improve their on-field prospects.
Castle name-checked defence as a problem area, potentially putting assistant coach Nathan Grey in the gun after the Wallabies leaked 78 points in their Bledisloe Cup defeats in Sydney and Auckland.
But after fulltime assistant coaches were introduced for the first time this year and a trial match arranged to blow out any pre-Rugby Championship cobwebs, it’s hard to imagine what more could be done.
“There’s different parts of the game we haven’t performed, particularly around our defence, and that would be something that we’ll be having a conversation about,” Castle said.
“I don’t think it’s about changing what we’ve got, it’s about what can we bring. We’ve got a wide rugby community that’s had significant success on the world stage.
“What can we use in those experts that are proud Australians that want to help the Wallabies to make sure that we can continue to be successful?”
Australia haven’t won the Bledisloe Cup since 2002.
“It’s hard, because we all want to beat New Zealand. That’s the reality. They’re the benchmark, they have been for such a long period of time,” Castle said.