Michael Cheika was given a vote of confidence by RA CEO Raelene Castle.GETTY IMAGES
Australian national rugby team head coach Michael Cheika will be asked to present to the board of Rugby Australia later this week but his own position "is not in doubt," with RA CEO Raelene Castle confirming he will continue as Wallabies coach through next year's World Cup, according to Wayne Smith of THE AUSTRALIAN. Cheika is on his way home from Argentina, where the Wallabies scored "arguably the most important win of his Test career," a 45-34 victory over the Pumas. At halftime, however, his position as Australian coach "looked untenable" as the Argentines led 31-7. The win appears to have "ensured Cheika will remain as Wallabies coach," though it "has not disguised the fact" that the Wallabies played "some of their worst rugby in decades in the first half." Castle said, "We have a plan. ... We were always going to go through a good process which we were always going to do, regardless of the outcome of this game, and nothing has changed." Yet Castle "stressed" that the process did not involve finding a replacement for Cheika. She said, "We're not talking about Michael Cheika being sacked as the head coach. I don't think that that is the scenario that we are talking about" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 10/7).
