Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika thinks that above all else good people are the secret to success for a rugby team.
Cheika is on a flying visit to Dublin this week to part-take in the 10-year anniversary celebrations of Leinster’s famous first Champions Cup in 2009 which he was the coach for.
“We did a lot of work in the lead-up to ’09 around building the provincial feel of the team. A lot of great work done by the players and the administration to build that and I could only be proud to see what has happened since,” he said to leinsterrugby.com.
The Aussie spent five years in Ireland with Leinster before heading off to France to take up a role with Stade Francais and is happy to see the players that he once coached have continued to help the club in coaching roles. He believes the good people at the province are what have made them so successful.
“Joe Schmidt did an absolutely magnificent job and now Leo (Cullen). To see ex-players joining the fold in the coaching ranks… Felipe (Contepomi), John Fogarty, guys like Richie Murphy go on into the national team, good people are the most important thing. You can have great tactics, you can have great training and all that stuff, but good people make things happen – and there is a lot of good people here,” he added.
Since his departure Leinster have gone on to win the PRO 14 multiple times, as well as claiming a further three Champions Cups and a Challenge Cup. However, Cheika was the mastermind that sent them on their glorious run and admits Leinster’s win over Munster in the 2009 semi-finals is a highlight of his career.
“Being a foreigner, (having) two Irish team playing at such a historical venue (Croke Park) was really dramatic. And I suppose maybe the 30 seconds after the final whistle in the final. You rarely see people that are genuinely surprised and excited with something that they never expected and you saw players who maybe didn’t believe they could do it beforehand finally get to do it. That moment was really special,” he finished.
Cheika has had a tough time over the past year with the Wallabies with only four wins in 13 matches during 2018, but there is belief within the Aussie camp that they can produce at the World Cup later this year and if one man can bring them success it’s him.
