Tim Horan claims ‘Eddie Jones-like’ Michael Cheika in the world’s ‘top three rugby coaches’ as Wallabies greats assess Joe Schmidt’s potential successors
Former Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika and legendary player Tim Horan.
Tim Horan is “quite excited” about the talk around Michael Cheika after the former Wallabies head coach was linked with a return to the role.
The 57-year-old was in charge of the national team between 2014 and 2019, but he departed following their Rugby World Cup quarter-final exit to England.
Cheika is currently at Leicester Tigers but he will leave the English Premiership side at the conclusion of the 2024/25 season.
Cheika’s ‘secret meeting’
It has been reported that Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh had a ‘secret meeting’ with Cheika, which suggests he is in the running to succeed Joe Schmidt.
Although Horan is wary of Cheika’s forthright demeanour, the Wallabies legend is delighted that he is in the frame.
“I think fans are a bit disappointed about what’s happened over the last 15 or so years with all these Wallaby coaches,” he told Stan Sport’s Inside Line podcast.
“You look at [Ewen] McKenzie, Cheika, [Dave] Rennie, Robbie Deans and of course Eddie, and that probably affected the players with what happened with Eddie Jones at the Rugby World Cup.
“I’m actually quite excited that Rugby Australia are talking to Michael Cheika. In my opinion, Michael Cheika is one of the top three rugby coaches in the world.
“Will that get him a seat at the table for the Wallabies? I don’t know because I reckon there’s a bit of Eddie Jones about Michael Cheika in how to manage him.”
There is a concern that scars still remain from Cheika’s previous tenure as Australia head coach, which ended in very disappointing circumstances, and Justin Harrison, who joined Horan on the podcast, gave his view on the situation.
Learnt from last time
“A lot of coaches think about head coaches as an end point of the journey – ‘I’m a head coach, now everything I deliver is going down’,” he said.
“Head coaches now, I think we’re recognising, need to have an evolution in themselves and an amount of cohesion with players, as well as the way that they develop themselves professionally.
“Let’s talk about coaches that have the capacity to achieve a lot out of a little to start with and then have gone through a learning process with themselves. They have a style but have been able to add things to their quiver.
“Stephen Larkham, very tactically good, very high on intelligence and rugby sense. Had some time in Ireland, worked out what was going on and developed more relationships. He then comes back with the Brumbies and starts to provoke a response there.
“Michael Cheika’s the same sort of coach now. The commentary around Cheik was tactically very good, a motivator but slightly ‘my way or the highway’.”
Cheika appears to have been added to a shortlist containing three Super Rugby coaches; Dan McKellar, Larkham and Les Kiss.
The frontrunners
Horan has previously stated that he is a big fan of McKellar and Larkham, with the former his initial “frontrunner”.
However, he has rolled back slightly on that idea due to the fact that the 48-year-old has only just started his job with the Waratahs.
“I think Dan McKellar and Stephen Larkham are really good coaches and should probably be the ones at the top of the pile for the Wallabies,” he added.
“But if you’re coach of the Waratahs, that’s the second biggest coaching job in Australia. How many people watch the Waratahs, how we need the Waratahs to perform.
“I reckon Rugby Australia would be really nervous of potentially taking someone like Dan McKellar out of the Waratahs, who’s just started, to then coach the Wallabies.”
