Michael Cheika makes bold declaration ahead of Leicester Tigers’ revival mission

New Leicester Tigers head coach Michael Cheika is coming into his position with the aim of setting high standards as he looks to revive the fortunes of the Premiership outfit.

After taking over the reins of the East Midlands club from fellow Australian Dan McKellar – who was relieved of his coaching duties after just one season in charge – Cheika is dedicated to bringing back the glory days to the Welford Road-based side.

Cheika, who joined Leicester on a one-year contract with options to extend his stint, is already hard at work with his new club’s turnaround strategy and declared: “We’re in it to win everything”.

‘Just the right time’ for Cheika

“It all happened relatively quickly. A job is about the right person for the right team at the right time, and it was just the right time for me,” he said.

“I’ve had some contact with Leicester way back in different periods and the timing hadn’t worked out.

“I probably wasn’t aiming to come into the Premiership, but when a club like Leicester makes that approach and that opportunity fits you at the right time, it’s almost impossible not to take it.

“I just got whatever I could and stuck it in a bag and left the family in Paris for a while. I’m still in a hotel because the priority was to just get over here. You can always settle in later on.

“The one-year contract is because of the speed and the personal situation. We really didn’t talk about it too much, we just sort of said yes and it happened.

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“I would like to think that this is going to be a long-standing thing once I can get those personal things worked out.”

The 57-year-old, who previously coached Australia and Argentina’s national teams, and also had successful stints at club level with Leinster and the Waratahs, sees himself as a turnaround specialist.

He guided Los Pumas to the semi-finals at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France and it’s hoped that his appointment will restore some of Leicester Tigers’ pride after they finished in eighth position on the Premiership table last season.

“It’s no secret that stability is the key. Finishing eighth is not what Leicester is about. We have greater expectations than that. It’s not what our fans expect,” said Leicester’s chief executive Andrea Pinchen.

A big challenge facing Cheika is honouring the Tigers’ proud tradition of playing a forward-based game while also adding the extra layers needed to challenge for the title.

Keen to improve on Leicester’s high standards

“Sometimes when you play for a club like this you feel you have to live up to the reputation which has been set, when the real objective is to build it even greater,” he said.

“I believe that even though the club might have that identity based around gritty, aggressive forward play – which suits me down to the ground, mind you – they’ve also got a strong history of playing with some outstanding backs.

“It won’t change a lot about who we are, but to win at the top level you need to be good at everything, have many strings to your bow so that you are able to compete for titles on both fronts.”

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