Wallaby coach must control his short fuse
OPINION: Professional coaching is not a career for the sensitive soul, and if Michael Cheika wants to survive leading the Wallabies, he must quickly develop a thicker skin than the one he displayed at Eden Park.
No-one, no matter what their public persona, is immune from having emotions dented. But there is a time and a place for airing those frustrations and grievances. Doing so after your side has suffered another one-sided defeat is not the forum. It merely gives the impression you seek to deflect attention from your own issues.
Cheika had legitimate beef about Henry Speight’s no-try ruling, and the Sydney bugging incident has been left to drag on far too long with seemingly no conclusion in sight. No doubt there’s more controversy to come on that front.
But after three wins from 10 tests this year, Cheika is clearly a man under siege. It’s a far cry from the successful Waratahs mentor who was lauded for transforming the Wallabies overnight, guiding them to last year’s World Cup final, and being recognised as World Rugby coach of the year in the process. Back then, he seemed to enjoy a bit of banter and share a laugh.
Australian rugby’s new saviour is now suffering a bad case of second -year syndrome, quickly discovering the international area isn’t as easy as first seemed. His selections appear muddled; his default off-field approach aggressive.
Poor taste or not, getting riled by a newspaper cartoon shows where his mental state is at. Unequivocally stating the All Blacks had something to do with him being dressed as a clown is just plain madness.
Cheika’s extraordinary post-match rant achieved little other than setting himself up as a target.
Cheika is a passionate man who openly displays his emotions.
There’s no doubt he cares deeply about the Wallabies, about Australian rugby. But he needs to realise images of him flying off the handle in the coaches’ box at decisions he doesn’t agree with does him no favours.