Michael Cheika to England: RFU president Jason Leonard 'sounds out' Australia coach to replace Stuart Lancaster
News has emerged in Australia that Rugby World Cup winner Leonard is looking into a possible approach for the Wallabies' head coach
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Your support makes all the difference.The Rugby Football Union are being linked with a move for Australia head coach Michael Cheika in a bid to replace Stuart Lancaster, according to reports in Australia.
Cheika led the Wallabies to the Rugby World Cup final last month, only to come up short against New Zealand in a 34-17 loss to their Trans-Tasman rivals. Despite the defeat, Cheika has worked wonders to restore Australia’s reputation in rugby union, and won World Rugby’s Coach of the Year award as acknowledgement for his work with the national set-up.
However, The Australian are reporting that former England international and current RFU president Jason Leonard has expressed an interest in approaching Cheika with a few to offering him the chance to replace Lancaster after England’s dismal showing at their own World Cup.
Cheika is only contract with the Australian Rugby Union until 2017, and with the RFU currently carrying out a full review into Lancaster and his coaching team, changes are expected to come in the near future.
Having lost to Australia as well as Wales, England became the first host nation to fail to make it out of the pool stage at a World Cup, while Lancaster has also come under fire for his selection of Sam Burgess – who has since left Bath and rugby union as a whole to return to rugby league with former side South Sydney Rabbitohs after just one year in the 15-man code.
It’s understood that Cheika is hopeful of leading Australia to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan where he will have a full four-year cycle under his belt as national team coach – something he did not have at England 2015 after taking the Wallabies’ top job last year following hugely successful spells with Leinster and the Waratahs that surrounded a difficult spell with French side Stade Francais.
But given that the RFU preside over the wealthiest budget in rugby union, they would certainly have the financial firepower to give Cheika a lucrative offer to ponder.
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