Former Australia and Argentina head coach Michael Cheika has made the switch to rugby league after accepting an offer to serve as an assistant coach with NRL outfit the Sydney Roosters.<\/p>\n
Cheika is a well-travelled rugby union coach and apart from coaching the Wallabies (2014 to 2019) and Argentina (2020 to 2023), he also had successful stints around the world in countries like England, Italy, Ireland, France and Japan.<\/p>\n
He coached the Waratahs to the 2014 Super Rugby title, when they beat the competition\u2019s most successful side, the Crusaders, in the final, and earlier this year he guided the Leicester Tigers to the Premiership final in which they suffered a narrow 23-21 defeat against Bath.<\/p>\n
Has previous rugby league coaching experience<\/p>\n
He is no stranger to rugby league coaching as he previously had a consultancy role with the Roosters in 2020 and guided Lebanon to the quarter-finals during their 2022 World Cup campaign in England.<\/p>\n
The Roosters announced on Wednesday that Cheika<\/a> will work with their forwards and also support coaches throughout the club\u2019s pathway system.<\/p>\n Head coach Trent Robinson, who is a long-time friend of Cheika\u2019s, is excited about the 58-year-old\u2019s appointment and believes he will bring a different perspective to the NRL heavyweights.<\/p>\n \u201cMichael and I have had a strong relationship for many years, and I\u2019ve always admired the way he leads and challenges athletes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Wallabies\u2019 \u2018remarkable servant\u2019 and \u2018incredibly popular\u2019 most capped player to retire after All Blacks Test<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHis experience in rugby brings a different perspective that will inspire and test our players and coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Roosters director of football Mitchell Aubusson is looking forward to Cheika switching codes.<\/p>\n \u2018A proven leader\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cMichael is a proven leader with a deep understanding of high-performance environments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a unique ability to connect with athletes and bring the best out of them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re excited about the impact he will have, not only with our NRL forwards but also across our pathways as players and coaches continue their development.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheika will commence his position next month when the Roosters get their 2026 NRL pre-season preparations underway.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, he showed interest in becoming the Wallabies<\/a>\u2018 boss again \u2013 as Joe Schmidt\u2019s replacement \u2013 but Rugby Australia opted to give the coaching reins to Reds head coach Les Kiss, and Cheika revealed that he is not interested in taking charge of the Brisbane-based side when Kiss steps down from his position there.<\/p>\n