blametheref says...

@Billybob

Elsom was part of the leinster "team" not a one man band, yes he did bring something to Leinster that "Cheika" new was missing at 6 at that time, but that was eclipsed by Sean O' Brien who took over to see Leinster win the Heineken Cup 2 seasons later and is in another HC final, that was not down to Elsom! Maybe we should discuss what Brian O' Driscoll brought to Leinster, because prior to him Leinster were a mediocre team that actually won nothing and he's still their most important player 12 years on, but it is the "team" when it is all said and done...

Posted 08:49 15th May 2012

leinsterblue says...

@Billybob - don't agree that he was totally useless as our coach...he developed a mindset that is now really paying off...plus a lot of the squad came through under his leadership - Heaslip, Fitzgerald, McLaughlin to name a few...

I think Cheika saw Stade as the next big step in his career - big team, lots of cash, high profile...and instead he fell on his ass....not sure where his next destination is - maybe it is to Australia as I can't see him going anywhere else in France...

Posted 21:39 14th May 2012

staph_glorious says...

I'm in Billybob's camp.

Cheika may have given the Leinster pack an injection on arrival, but the seasons that followed saw significantly diminishing returns. It was only his appointment of Jono Gibbes, who remains at the province still, that truly galvanised the front-eight.

For their first European success, Cheika probably came a distant fourth in terms of importance - trumped by Gibbes's influence, the returning Grand Slammers, and the best of Rocky Elsom. Recall how Leinster scraped through to the quarter finals pre-Six Nations that year with a 12-3 result at home against Edinburgh. It's also noteworthy that Jonathon Sexton, whose alleged confidence issues now tidy up column inches, was demoted to the AIL under Cheika in favour of a retired Kiwi journeyman.

While involving the man in the dismissal of Knox would be unfair, Cheika as head coach failed to replace the innovator, and Leinster's backplay evidently suffered until Schmidt's arrival. He frequently abandoned any form of meritocracy, adopting a strategy similar to Ireland's favourite 'Steady Eddie', one that saw Seán O'Brien, for one, forgotten for poorer, yet established, players. Finally, by some accounts, Michael Cheika was a bully, eschewing player welfare for a body on the pitch.

Stade Francais was definitely a litmus test for the Heineken Cup coach, with an embarrassment of riches and scarcely a limit on his acquisitions. There, he failed.

Michael Cheika will do well to find top-level employment again, and I would be thrilled that any such gambit on his credentials occurs far from Irish soil.

Posted 19:08 14th May 2012

Cabhan says...

This is very sad to see. He has to take most of the plaudits for developing the winning mentality in Leinster. Certainly the Leinster forwards were a completely different animal after his coaching. Its hard to argue with the fact that they play a more expansive game now, but they learned how to grind out wins under his tutelage.

blametheref, couldn't agree more, he would have been perfect for Munster. I still think they should be happy enough to have Penney though.

Posted 16:47 14th May 2012

DaveJ says...

yours sincerely, Joe Schmidt and all Leinster fans.

Posted 15:15 14th May 2012