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NSW Waratahs Coach Michael Cheika has revealed the questions he asked himself after being offered the chance to return, 12 years after leading the club to their first Super Rugby title on a famous night in the Harbor City.
It has been an eventful few months for Cheik, who was announced as the next Waratahs coach on August 18. The coach then helped lead the Sydney Roosters to NRL glory and took charge Lebanon during the Rugby League World Cup.
Lebanon achieved a dramatic victory for a golden point France last weekend, but Cheika has already stepped into the role for the Waratahs. Cheika was in front of the media in Sydney on Wednesday morning, wearing a Tahs pin and flanked by his two new assistant coaches.
Stephen Hoiles and Wycliff Palu were part of Cheika’s Waratahs that won Super Rugby 12 years ago and will now play an integral role in the team’s latest era. Cheika returns to Novi Jug Wales a club with rich experience in two codes.
“I didn’t immediately think, ‘Oh, should I do this? Shouldn’t I do that?’ I immediately started thinking what should I do? If I did that, what would I do? I guess it’s the (history of) coaching,” Cheika told reporters.
“What am I supposed to do? And then could I do it? Because there’s no point in going back to do the job, you have to… get on the team, take them where you want to take them. How would I do it? And could I do it? Am I able to do it? Do I have the ability to do it?”
“Once I started asking myself those questions, the decisions became relatively easy.”
Hoiles joins Cheika’s coaching staff after spending time in Major League Rugby, most recently leading California Legion to the championship game. Palu is another notable addition, which recently returned Australia from Japan.
Cheika’s new-look Waratahs coaching group will oversee a roster that includes new recruits Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps, who were part of the 2014 championship-winning side. Angus Crichton is also switching codes after becoming a three-time NRL premiership player.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Max Jorgensen are the two regular Wallabies starters in the team. Angus Bell is another, with the loose prop returning to the Waratahs after spending a season in the URC with Ireland’s Ulster.
“I’m big on character and the importance of character within the team, within the people who support the team as well,” Cheika explained.
“I would like it to be a very strong theme within the team because… it creates a good environment for us to be here. It then naturally shows on the pitch. Here the fans see us by how we play, not by what we do in the picture or in the video, they see us as we are on the pitch, so who we are off the pitch as a group of people is really important.
“People who understand what it takes, because it’s not easy, and then have the character to help deliver it, I definitely see that in these two guys with me and other people I’ve already met within the support team and New South Wales Rugby.”
The Waratahs seemingly promised but failed to deliver Super Rugby Pacific playoffs. They finished the season 5-9, despite starting 2-0 after a win against Queensland Red and the Fijian Drua.
But a run of four defeats in five matches saw the Tahs drop down the table and their season came to an end after losing five of their last six matches. The Tahs haven’t made it to the finals since 2023, when they were beaten by the Blues in the quarterfinals.
“When you come in, OK, maybe the team didn’t have the results they wanted to have. But I have to go in with the guys here and own it all because the fans were here the whole time.”
“We’re going to look at all those things and say, ‘What can we do better?
“There’s a certain amount of talent and energy or whatever the players bring to us and the crew, okay, what can we help them turn into? Because that’s really in their hands at the end of the day on the field, and help them enjoy their legs.”
“I know it sounds cliché, but it’s so important. Enjoy the atmosphere and it will help you when times are not going so well, because there will be times when it’s going to be difficult. Nothing comes easy… you have to love where you are and what the atmosphere is like.”
