Wallaby coach could win a World Wup for whingeing

The Wallaby coach is carrying on like a kid who missed out on a lolly bag at a birthday party, writes MIKE COLMAN.

Wallaby coach Michael Chieks is pulling his hair out over the officiating at the Rugby World Cup in Japan. Picture: David Rogers/Getty Images

So Wallaby coach Michael Cheika was “embarrassed” by the refereeing in his team’s 25-29 loss to Wales on Sunday.

I’ll tell you what is embarrassing. Cheika’s continual whining, whingeing and bleating about anything and everything that doesn’t go Australia’s way in this Rugby World Cup.

The way he carried on when interviewed immediately after the Wales game reminded me of an eight year-old kid spitting the dummy because he didn’t get a lolly bag at a birthday party.

Michael Cheika with Wallaby captain Michael Hooper before the loss to Wales. Hooper accepted refereeing decisions went both ways. Cheika not so much. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Looking like he would rather be having an armpit tattoo, Cheika treated the interviewer with contempt when asked, “what went wrong?”

“What went wrong?” he snapped. “I thought we lost by a couple of points.”

Refusing to look the reporter in the eye he then played the victim card claiming that, “maybe Australia’s not allowed to scrum any good.”

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What impression the rest of the rugby world is to take from Cheika’s petulant display (apart from thinking we don’t have a particularly good grasp of the English language) isn’t hard to ascertain.

That we’re a bunch of bad losers.

Not once did he mention that Wales was the better team; that they totally outplayed the Wallabies in the first half and then hung on stoically to close out the win.

Nor did he acknowledge that he had got some of his selections wrong and should never have thrown his out-of-form, out-of-confidence former golden boy Bernard Foley into the deep end of Australia’s most important pool match.

Wallaby fly-half Bernard Foley, contesting the ball with Liam Williams, was thrown in the deep end against Wales. Picture: AP

But then again, self-recrimination has never been Michael Cheika’s way. You don’t get to the top in business or sport as he has by ever admitting you were wrong.

Instead you deflect criticism by bleating about how poor little Australia has been picked on by incompetent, biased officials.

Okay, fair enough. The Wallabies have copped some tough decisions. Reece Hodge was unlucky to be handed a three-game ban for his tackle on Fiji’s Peceli Yato (although he would have been even more unlucky if it was the six games he could have got), and the penalty against Samu Kerevi against Wales was questionable at best.

And yes, it would have been nice if referee Romain Poite had called for a replay to check if Welsh scrumhalf Gareth Davies had been onside when he intercepted a Will Genia pass before awarding a try.

But he didn’t, and Australia lost. It happens, get over it.

Referee Romain Poite’s penalty against Samu Kerevi (left) was questionable at best. Picture: Getty

All teams cop bad decisions and most international coaches – Cheika not being one of them – seem to have accepted that they tend to equal out over time. As Wallaby captain Michael Hooper said after the Wales game, “there were some big calls there. Some went our way, some didn’t.”

The best coaches don’t get caught up with finger-pointing. They move on, regroup and fight another day.

England coach Eddie Jones refuses to comment on TMO decisions, whether they go for his team – as they have over the tackling technique of his captain Owen Farrell – or against, such as when a win over the All Blacks last year was snatched away due to a late off-side call on backrower Courtney Lawes.

The All Blacks’ Steve Hansen said after a loss to South Africa, “referees will make mistakes, just like players will make mistakes but you’ve got to live with that.”

And Michael Cheika would do well to remember that his Wallabies only made it to the final of the last World Cup thanks to a refereeing error by Craig Joubert in the quarter-final against Scotland.

Australia beat Scotland in the last Rugby World Cup at Twickenham thanks to a contentious refereeing decision. Picture: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Maybe then he would spend less time belly-aching and more time teaching his players to catch and pass like the Japanese or kick goals like Wales.

That way they could smake it to the final despite the pool match loss, like England did in 2007 and France in 2011.

And Michael Cheika can still get his lollies.