Kurtley Beale: Michael Cheika saved my career and built Wallabies into unified force
Michael Cheika’s passion for the Wallabies can never be questioned and he deserves credit for his achievements as coach of the national team, writes KURTLEY BEALE.
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Being comfortable in uncomfortable situations was one of Michael Cheika’s big sayings to draw out extra fight for those big momentum-shifting periods on the field.
As Wallabies, we might not have always liked being on the training field at 5.30am in New Caledonia the morning after a big session – an honesty session calling out your lack of effort on a certain play, or deficiency in your game.
To a man though, we all appreciated being part of a unified team and the bank of preparation being built to reach another World Cup final. A lot of that was part of Cheik’s make-up to get under your skin as a player – to light a fire in you to react, and improve a skill or decision for a key moment that could decide a game.
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Things happen quickly in tournament play. You work as a group for months building toward something special, then all of a sudden after a difficult night you’re on a flight home from Tokyo. It is devastating and comes quickly.
Two things I can guarantee. Cheik put everything he had into the Wallabies to win Australia a World Cup and make the country proud.
Secondly, it’s not about him – nor would he want it to be – whatever is best for the Wallabies is has always been No.1.
Cheik conducted plenty of reviews within the team himself, and a Rugby Australia review that promotes a strong future for our game is what he would want now.
Jordan Petaia’s brilliant start to Test rugby, Marika Koroibete’s form and the emergence of youngsters like Jordan Uelese are just a few positives at Wallabies level.
Cheik is the best coach I’ve played under in 13 seasons, not just in a rugby sense but in telling me some hard truths about my behaviour years ago.
He fought for me, he pushed me to be stronger mentally and he backed me.
I feel very lucky to have played under a coach who cared and lots of players from this Rugby World Cup campaign will say the same.
I just hope he gets the credit due for what he’s achieved over the course of his whole tenure in Australian rugby, rather than becoming an easy target for people expressing their disappointment at a Cup campaign fallen short.
I believe we went into the quarter-final with the right game plan and created plenty of opportunities. We didn’t execute and that’s what cost us against a good England team.
I put my hand up for that poor chip kick from my own quarter late in the first half which put us under unnecessary pressure.
The tactic was to find space in front of fullback Elliot Daly, flood the breakdown and get the ball back but the English had adapted with men there and my kick flew straight to one of them.
When we got back to 17-16, I thought “this is it” and the forwards were doing everything they had trained to do.
England took it on with that great Owen Farrell ball to Kyle Sinckler and the pressure did build on us.
There have been a lot of comments about the Wallabies running it all the time. Only a few years ago, the chat was about us kicking too much.
We are still chasing a better balance of run, kick and pass.
Cheik was shattered in the dressing room like the rest of us.
Cheik’s legacy? Those wins over the All Blacks in 2017 and 2019 are big standouts for me.
He built strong team bonds.
Perhaps the biggest thing was constantly reinforcing in every player and staff member about who we are playing for and what the players before us put into the gold jersey.
That was a constant with Cheik and those strong themes will still be inside all of use when a new coach comes in for 2020.
We are all hurting, and know everyone who loves Australian rugby is as well.
It’s a tough time, but we will bounce back, I guarantee it.
Originally published as Kurtley Beale: Michael Cheika saved my career and built Wallabies into unified force