Michael Cheika

[ellabroz]

Apparently (according to GAGR via twitter), Michael Cheika has been sacked by Stade Francais.

If so, where will he end up? Rebels? Force? Tahs? Must be a few nervous coaches out there, looking over their shoulder!

 

[en_force_er]

Are many European coaching jobs open at this stage or just SH ones?

Why was he sacked?

 

[ellabroz]

I remember hearing something on ruggamatrix recently about Cheika's contract. It was a 2 year deal with an option for another two years I think. I'm unsure which side could engage the option. Perhaps they simply decided not to renew.

Damien Hill couldn't have picked a better time to defeat the Crusaders. Just need to keep winning now. Harold Mitchell surely won't tolerate this for much longer, especially with a guy like Cheika now available.

Cheika to coach Rebels in 2013.

 

[boyo]

SF were knocked out of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

 

[Hawko]

The way the Rebels are playing right now you would not think their coach would be sacked. I suspect you would need a series of catastrophic losses to do that now. What a difference a world class fly half makes.

I think you would need a major revolution in the Tahs back office before Foley was fired and there is bad history between Chieka and the Tahs. The Reds and Brumbies aren't going anywhere new for coaches.

The most likely spot for Chieka in Oz is the Force and IMO it would be a good move.

 

[waratahjesus]

The reds will need someone to understudy Richard Graham in there long term succession plan.

Force are the only ones with a job to offer, seems most logical, Cheika has had the chance to coe back a couple of times and hasn't, has he ever actually indicated that he wants to?

 

[kiap]

Hehe, assistant woody to link's assistant...

Dodgy online French to English translation:

Cheika écarté

Manager of Stade Français since March 2010, Michael Cheika pays the price of non-qualification for the finals. The Australian, former coach of Leinster, will no longer coach the Paris team next season. It has not yet been decided whether he will retain some other coaching role. The decision comes two months after his compatriot and Deputy Chris Whitacker, defense specialist, was dismissed. Christophe Laussucq assistants and Mario Ledesma, appointed to the coaching staff in June 2011, are anticipated to succeed Cheika.

http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites/Cheika-limoge/283812[/quote]

 

[Lee Grant]

Why was he sacked?

The same reason why Link McKenzie was sacked by them. He inherited a team of talented misfits and wasn't there long enough to recruit the team players he wanted.
.

 

[sudrugby]

The same reason why Link McKenzie was sacked by them. He inherited a team of talented misfits and wasn't there long enough to recruit the team players he wanted.
.

True but the situation was worse than McKenzie's one as the SF got no money.
Link had cash to hire guys like James Haskell or Mark Gasnier

 

[Bardon]

SF were knocked out of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

Stade basically threw the Challenge cup game as they had a big game in the Top 14 the week after. The fact that they didn't make the top 6 for the play offs would have been the final straw.

However as LG was saying they weren't his players and this was demonstrated in March when they got their strop on and complained to the president of the club about some of Chieka's methods.

Are many European coaching jobs open at this stage or just SH ones?

Apart from Play-offs and finals the European season is about to end so there may plenty of positions available in England and France in the coming weeks. The question is will Chieka be interested in any of them.

If an Aus franchise does get him and are patient he's got the track record to make things happen.

 

[TOCC]

The reds will need someone to understudy Richard Graham in there long term succession plan.

Thry already do, his head coach in NSW at the moment...

 

[SuperGrover]

Michael Cheika will not coach French giants Stade Français next season, it was revealed on Monday.

The Australian, took over as director of rugby at the Parisian club at the start of the 2010/11 season after spending five years at Leinster, will not be offered an extension of his two-year contract although it has not yet been determined if he will stay on in another capacity.

"It was decided this morning (Monday) that Michael Cheika will no longer coach the professional team of Stade Francais next season," a source close to the Top 14 club told AFP.

Despite having one of the biggest budgets in France at his disposal, Cheika has failed to revive Stade Français's fortunes. The 119-year-old club finished seventh in this season's Top 14, missing out on play-off spot for the third successive season.

The move does not come as surprise as reports have emerged over the last few weeks of the strained relationship between Cheika and a number of players. Reports have also suggested that the Heineken Cup-winning coach was no longer on speaking terms with assistant coach Christophe Laussucq.

Cheika has been linked with coach-less Australian Super Rugby franchise the Western Force.

http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_7756256,00.html

 

[FiveStarStu]

Force.

Damien Hill is safe for another season at the very least.

 

[waratahjesus]

Force.

Damien Hill is safe for another season at the very least.

Has the club said that, or is it based on the last two weeks?

 

[louie]

whats the bad history between Cheika and the Tahs?

Hope in comes home. We need all the good coaches we can get.

 

[MrMouse]

I think he'd be a very sensible pick-up for the Force. As LG said, NSW Rugby (NOT the Tahs, I refuse to confuse the two) sacked Link for failing to win a title fast enough for their liking. It's true, his varied experiences after that probably helped him improve as a coach but it was a dumb decision then and it's a dumb decision now.

If SF want to be dumb, the Force should be smart and pounce. After hiring Graham they need to be smart. Firing him was a good start.

 

[Rob42]

I think he'd be a very sensible pick-up for the Force. As LG said, NSW Rugby (NOT the Tahs, I refuse to confuse the two) sacked Link for failing to win a title fast enough for their liking. It's true, his varied experiences after that probably helped him improve as a coach but it was a dumb decision then and it's a dumb decision now.

If SF want to be dumb, the Force should be smart and pounce. After hiring Graham they need to be smart. Firing him was a good start.

It's hard to say that sacking Link was a bad idea at the time. His contract was up, the team had played poorly in the first half of that season, it was in everyone's interests to make the decision on his position mid-season, because the SF position was in play. Of course they played the house down for the rest of the season after he was sacked, but the complaints about his sacking have only really gotten loud since he turned the Reds around, not before.

Hindsight is a great thing.

 

[MrMouse]

It's hard to say that sacking Link was a bad idea at the time. His contract was up, the team had played poorly in the first half of that season, it was in everyone's interests to make the decision on his position mid-season, because the SF position was in play. Of course they played the house down for the rest of the season after he was sacked, but the complaints about his sacking have only really gotten loud since he turned the Reds around, not before.

Hindsight is a great thing.

Mate I shat all over the decision then, and I do now, and I have every moment in between. I was far from alone, too.

To say that he "turned the Reds around" isn't really fair to guys like Blake though. Even Link has credited him with doing a lot of the ground-work.

I'd also say that to sack a coach mid-season is very, very rarely a good idea. The possible exception is a situation like Graham's, where he announced that he was moving, the team was underperforming, and he had nothing to offer.

 

[Lee Grant]

As LG said, NSW Rugby (NOT the Tahs, I refuse to confuse the two) sacked Link for failing to win a title fast enough for their liking. It's true, his varied experiences after that probably helped him improve as a coach but it was a dumb decision then and it's a dumb decision now.

I don't know that I said that exactly but I remember saying at the time that I could understand the decision because he had been there 5 seasons and hadn't won the bikkies yet; so they probably thought that the Tahs may as well try somebody else.

I thought it was probably better for Link too.

IIRR not too many Tahs fans on the forum, me included, wanted to see him go.

Like Link, Cheika has experienced the bedlam that is Stade Francais and it's upside down and back to front melodramas. The club needs a Robespierre, not a Danton like Link or Cheika - and a truck load of cash.

Cheika will be hard to get back to Oz because his good work at Leinster helped to make them the best team in Europe, and thereby pushed up his pay grade, but it is worth a shot.
.

 

[MrMouse]

Yes, to be fair my memory doesn't stretch back that far - I was more referring to the more recent post:

The same reason why Link McKenzie was sacked by them. He inherited a team of talented misfits and wasn't there long enough to recruit the team players he wanted.
.

Fingers crossed one of the provinces snares him, I think he might bring some fresh ideas that could help. Maybe. Perhaps.