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Cheik, please? Why Waratahs gig looms as Aussie rugby’s most pressing issue
By Iain Payten
It says everything about the urgent review needed for the Super Rugby playoffs system that even another loss for the Waratahs this weekend won’t necessarily kill off their finals hopes.
Apologies, that was a typo. Replace “review” with “torn up and burned to cinders with an oxy torch”.
Given eight of 12 teams progress in Super Rugby Pacific, the Waratahs (currently 2-8) could sneak into the play-offs with three more wins to finish 5-8 and in the mid-20 point range. A tally of 24 points was enough for the Reds to finish eighth in 2023.
It would require many other results to go their way, but NSW do play two of the teams also hunting for eighth. Still, when your team’s future is best captured by the Lloyd Christmas meme from Dumb and Dumber – “so you’re telling me there’s a chance” – it’s best to not raise your hopes.
Which brings us to another issue of critical importance to the Waratahs’ future: who will be the NSW coach in 2025?
Even if the top-eight moonshot happens, after months of inaction it’s fair to deduce Darren Coleman will be thanked for his service and not re-signed for next season.
Darren Coleman looking on as the Waratahs warm up.Credit: Getty
Coleman has had three years in charge at Daceyville, and though he came in with the franchise at its lowest ebb after a winless season in 2021, history is likely to judge his first season as his best. In 2022, Coleman got the Tahs back on their feet with an 8-6 record and finished sixth. Each week, the crowd on the Leichhardt Oval hill grew in size and passion as fans got back on board, and in rescuing the Tahs from the abyss, Coleman can hang his hat on that legacy alone.
But high goals set for 2023 weren’t realised, and a 6-8 season led to another quarter-final exit. This year is still unfolding, but clearly not well. There are legitimate excuses; a shocking injury toll in the forwards being the big one.
Seasons are won and lost on getting home in tight games, and the Waratahs have lost a hatful. Win just a couple of those, and points and confidence may fuel a different trajectory.
The Tahs have been here before. Indeed, a topic of conversation at the recent 2014 Waratahs reunion was the fact the current team reminded them of the 2012 Waratahs, who had a 4-12 season and lost eight games by four points or fewer.
Michael Cheika and Michael Hooper celebrate victory over the Crusaders in the Super Rugby decider in 2014.Credit: Getty
The nucleus of that team went on to win the competition two seasons later.
The talk also turned to whether Michael Cheika – who replaced Michael Foley in 2013 – is the man to make history repeat at the Waratahs in 2025.
Rugby Australia, the new owners of the Waratahs, are taking control of the search for the next coach and though he is very careful not to be seen favouring the team he captained, chief executive Phil Waugh is acutely aware of how important the NSW coach is.
Given that they represent Australia’s biggest market, if the Tahs catch a cold, the whole code gets a sniffle. In years when the Waratahs struggle, even genuine success elsewhere gets lost in the wash.
Grey (middle) at an Australia under-20 training session.Credit: Getty
So with the home World Cup in 2027 around the corner, finding – and investing in – a heavy hitter who can quickly get the Waratahs up and firing will be a priority.
Cheika definitely fits that bill. He is free after finishing up with Argentina and with Wayne Bennett an apparent lock for the South Sydney NRL job. Clovelly is home and the Tahs again shape as a fixer-upper with genuine potential. Particularly with the grapevine saying many Rebels players will end up in Sydney.
Simon Raiwalui coaching Fiji at the Rugby World Cup.Credit: Getty
Cheika even abides by the philosophy of investing at Super level. He told SEN in November: “From my experiences, coming back to coach the Waratahs in 2013, we won Super Rugby in 2014, then we got to the World Cup final in 2015. I do believe that coaching at Super Rugby level is just as important as who is coaching the Wallabies team. That is where the players are being prepared, that’s where it needs so much investment to make sure it’s going well.”
But the destructive tail of Cyclone Eddie lingers. Cheika has aspirations to coach the Wallabies again, and any return to NSW would likely have to include a window to return to the top job. The disaster of 2023 has left many at head office highly strung, and even though Cheika is more predictable than Jones, the sailing wouldn’t be smooth.
Cheika’s style is to take full control – of everything. And then do whatever is required to succeed.
With RA now running the Waratahs, that’s a tricky dynamic. New high-performance boss Peter Horne is keen on fixing Australian rugby’s penchant for focussing on short-term fixes, over and over again.
But if not Cheika, who else is there? Sitting some way underneath Cheika as a top-tier target, current NSW assistant Jason Gilmore and Junior Wallabies coach Nathan Grey are in the mix. But coaching the Waratahs would be their first full-time role running a Super Rugby program.
Randwick’s premiership coach Steve Hoiles is highly regarded, and so too is Aussie sevens coach John Manenti, who led Eastwood to three Shute Shields. Daniel Halangahu, a five-season assistant coach at the Blues, might be a smoky. But all would require a roll of the dice from RA.
One respected option with experience and talent is former Cheika deputy Simon Raiwalui, who steered Fiji to the 2023 World Cup quarter-finals – via a win over the Wallabies – and now works for World Rugby. Or Andy Friend, who coached on the biggest club stages while in Ireland.
But even spreading the net worldwide, there are still not many proven head coach candidates jumping off the page. And after a year of problems for the Waratahs, that may grow to be the biggest one.
Watch all the action from the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, with every match ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.