Senior Wallabies being kept in the dark over Cheika future

Michael Cheika’s future as Wallabies coach remains undecided with key players revealing they haven’t been informed about who will be in charge at next year’s World Cup.

Pocock is a big supporter of Cheika. Picture: Getty

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Even senior Wallabies players are being kept in the dark about the fate of embattled coach Michael Cheika as Rugby Australia weighs up whether to fire him or let him stay on for next year’s World Cup.

Speculation about Cheika’s future has intensified after Rugby Australia chairman Cameron Clyne said the board wanted to make a decision on the coach before Christmas after previously saying he was guaranteed to keep his job.

Cheika did not attend Wednesday’s annual players association awards ceremony in Sydney but his position was one of the main topics of conversation at most of the lunch tables.

Pocock is a big supporter of Cheika. Picture: Getty

RUPA Medal winner David Pocock said the Wallabies players hadn’t been informed about the outcome.

“Like everyone else, we’ll wait and see what happens this week and move on,” said Pocock, who also shared the People’s Choice award with Women’s Rugby Sevens player of the year Evania Pelite.

Pocock was one of the few players to emerge with his reputation enhanced after the worst Wallabies’ season in 60 years, where they lost nine of the 13 Tests they played in 2018, leading to calls for Cheika and his assistants to be axed.

Australian rugby stars David Pocock and Evania Pelite at the RUPA Awards. Picture: Getty

Refreshed and fit again after returning from a year off, Pocock cleaned up the major individual awards when he won the John Eales Medal in October and the RUPA Medal, which is decided by a players’ vote.

The quietly spoken backrower is a well known supporter of Cheika, but said it wasn’t up to the players to decide the coach.

“He’s someone I’ve learned a huge amount off and got a lot of respect for but ultimately there’s probably not a huge amount of value getting players talking about it because it’s a decision for people higher up in the chain,” he said.

“It’s really out of our hands. As I said at the John Eales Medal night, I love the guy, he’s someone I’ve learned a huge amount from.”

Willingly or not, the players will still have some bearing on whether Cheika stays on for another year after they conducted an internal review after the disastrous end of year tour to Japan and Europe.

Michael Cheika’s future is the hottest topic in Australian Rugby. Picture: AP

The players were encouraged to be brutally honest because the findings would eventually be passed on to the board for consideration and it has since emerged that there were mixed reports about Cheika.

“(There was) some honest feedback and that’s what you want and that’s what we’re trying to foster, we’re trying to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable to be who they are and being all of themselves to work,” Pocock said.

“That’s probably when you get more of a sense of belonging is when you can be yourself and disagree about things but commit to a way forward.”

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Originally published as Senior Wallabies being kept in the dark over Cheika future