Pressure mounts on coach Cheika
Already under pressure to stave off yet another Bledisloe Cup series defeat, Australia have their backs to the wall ahead of Saturday’s clash against the All Blacks at Eden Park.
The All Blacks have held the Bledisloe Cup since they won it back from the Wallabies in 2003, and have one hand on it again following a 38-13 victory in the first match last week.
The world champions enter the Rugby Championship game, which doubles as the second match in the Bledisloe series, as firm favourites, though they have had to make two injury-enforced changes with inside centre Ryan Crotty and Rieko Ioane ruled out.
Despite the clinical demolition of the Wallabies, Steve Hansen’s side felt they had not produced anywhere near the performance they wanted.
If the Wallabies are to stand any chance of winning they must make significant improvements from the game in Sydney, a defeat that sparked calls for coach Michael Cheika’s head.
“Surely Cheika cannot survive,” prominent Australian rugby journalist Greg Growden wrote on ESPN this week.
“If Rugby Australia is serious about a productive 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign as well as regaining the faith of thousands of disenchanted Wallabies supporters, they must get rid of Cheika, and all of his backup coaching and managerial staff now.” –