Absolutely Refugee. The problems on Australian rugby go well beyond simply who the Wallabies coach is. But that doesn’t mean that they should be immune from criticism. Whilst the issues as varied and well entrenched, I firmly believe Cheika could have done a much better job than he has.
Cheika has acknowledged himself - professional coaches have to get results to retain their job.
The failure is now endemic and at many levels.
Lack of systemic coaching structures from schools and junior club upwards, scrum academies etc which could have been created with the windfalls from RWC 2003 and Lions 2013 are a huge failing.
Lack of support outside traditional learning grounds (Independent School, for example) now leading to rugby disappearing from curricula.
Just at the Wallaby level, lack of a real process to select, oversee and critically review skills / specialty and other coaches, including the head coach.
The fact that a succession of Head Coaches have had mediocre results points strongly to these system failures. It doesn't offset the responsibility of the Head Coach to improve the outcomes at all, but it is curious.
Cheika has been the worst of them too.
It will get worse as resources become fewer, players leave more and more and the beatings get more regular.