Payto & Panda: Rumoured reunion for Michael Cheika and Mario Ledesma in Argentina
SOUTH American flavour to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika’s long-term future, the corporate box kiss, Israel Folau’s agent at Moore Park, Aussie Sevens women in the UFC and more.
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- Michael Cheika will quit if Wallabies don’t win World Cup
- Waratahs to play historic Brookvale Oval match
WALLABIES coach Michael Cheika’s bombshell announcement in this paper that he would walk if Australia didn’t win the World Cup next year has already sparked strong rumours that his future could lie in South America.
Sources in Argentina tell us Cheika has come up in discussions regarding a director of rugby role in 2020, like that held by former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry at the Pumas.
Cheika’s great mate and long-time scrum coach Mario Ledesma left the Wallabies last year to take up the head coaching role of Super Rugby side the Jaguares, and is being groomed to take over as head coach of the national side of Argentina post World Cup.
You’ll remember our revelation in 2015 that Cheika was close to signing for the exact same role in Argentina the previous year, before Ewen McKenzie’s sudden departure opened up the Wallabies role for him.
Influential Argentine powerbroker Gus Pichot told us before the 2015 World Cup semi-final between Australia and the Pumas they were “very, very, very close” to landing Cheika.
“People cannot imagine how close we were to signing Michael,” Pichot said.
It wouldn’t surprise if Ledesma lobbied for Cheika to join his staff in an advisory role — the pair worked together at French club Stade Francais, the NSW Waratahs and the Wallabies.
Cheika’s announcement he’d walk from Australia’s top job if he fails to win the World Cup made news across the globe.
The story was picked up in no less than 13 countries.
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Cheika scouting Six Nations
STILL on Cheika, the coach will fly north next week to conduct a Six Nations reconnaissance mission on Ireland ahead of the massive series in June.
Cheika will fly into Dublin ahead of Ireland’s clash with Scotland at Aviva Stadium and then attend the huge clash between Ireland and England at Twickenham on March 17.
It’s not known if Cheika plans to catch up with his old mate Eddie Jones in London but the trip will provide the Wallabies coach with a close look at Joe Schmidt’s Ireland, who will be in Australia for a three-Test series in June.
It promises to be a massive series. Ireland are ranked third in the world, one ahead of Australia, and have actually had the wood on the Wallabies in recent times.
The men in green have won three of the past four Tests between the sides, although Ireland haven’t won on Aussie soil since 1979.
Unlike the Kiwis, who are planning to withdraw All Blacks players for two Super games before their June series with France, Cheika may not even hold a single catch-up camp.
“Last year when they were doing the draw, there was the choice of starting Super Rugby a week earlier, which is what the South Africans did so they’d have a week’s lead-up to the Test series,” Cheika told us.
“Which I would have liked to be honest, but the Super Rugby teams weren’t keen on it because of the Tens and fitting everything in.
“So we gave way there, and in turn, we agreed to two camps during the year if we wanted to. But I don’t think I will take them up. Maybe one. I will talk to the coaches in the next week or two about a date that suits everyone.”
Forced to kiss and make up
WE told you about the impending showdown between ex-ARU deputy Rob Clarke and ex-Force boss Mark Sinderberry in the Melbourne Rebels chairman’s box last week — and their meeting didn’t disappoint in the drama stakes.
To recap very quickly, Sinderberry and Clarke went at each other in a hostile fashion during last year’s shutdown of the Western Force; including trading shots at the Senate inquiry.
So the ground was fertile for a feisty clash, and that’s what some thought was coming when the pair finally stood toe-to-toe.
But our snout said the tension disappeared when Sinderberry leaned over the shorter Clarke and called a truce by planting a kiss on his bald melon.
Agent’s mission a pointer to Folau’s future
SPOTTED by our Moore Park snout — leading player agent Isaac Moses heading into the Rugby Australia offices this week. Moses, who manages Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale, would have no doubt been talking turkey about Folau’s future, with the star fullback off contract at the end of the year. There is confidence that Folau will stay for at least one more year, given the World Cup.
Double-headers for Super W
THE new Super W competition for women’s 15s will be launched on Friday in Sydney.
There will be five double-headers with Super W games preceding Super Rugby games — such as the NSW Women’s team playing the Western Force women’s team on Sunday, March 18, ahead of the Tahs v Rebels at Allianz Stadium.
FoxSports will televise the competition, including two live games.
UFC session for Sevens women
NOT that they really need them, really, but the Australian women’s Sevens team honed their fighting instincts with a visit to the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas this week.
They’re in Vegas to play a five-game exhibition series against the USA, as preparation for the Commonwealth Games next month.
They were given access to the gym at the $14 million, 30,000-square-foot UFC Performance Institute, where many of the world’s leading MMA fighters train.
There wasn’t any fighting training in the Octagon for the Aussie girls, though, a few pics for Insta content had to suffice.
Walsh looking at men’s role
AUSTRALIAN women’s Sevens Tim Walsh has put talks about his future on hold until after the Commonwealth Games.
Walsh is due to finish up with the Australian women’s program and has already had interest from overseas, but he said he’d told his team he would look at roles in men’s Sevens to avoid coaching against them at the 2019 Olympics.
“I said to the girls ‘just so you know, I don’t think I could coach against you girls’,” Walsh said.
“I am too invested in them and what we built, so it would be very difficult. I said someone would have to pay me a lot of money to do that.
“You want to follow your heart as well. Maybe in four years, when they’ve all retired. But for now it’s probably an unlikely scenario.”
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