Rugby Australia still unsure whether to sack coach Michael Cheika, with a decision due before Christmas
Fans hoping for a quick decision on who will coach the Wallabies at next year’s World Cup have been left hanging after the board said a decision could take two more weeks.
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Rugby Australia’s dithering over the fate of Michael Cheika could go on for another two weeks after the board failed to reach a decision about whether to let him stay on as Wallabies coach.
Even after the worst season in 60 years, Rugby Australia chairman Cameron Clyne was unable to shed any light on whether Cheika will lead the Wallabies at next year’s World Cup.
Given the chance to end the speculation once and for all after Cheika fronted the board to explain the team’s woeful performance this year, Clyne dropped the ball during a farcical 51-second news conference.
"We obviously received a presentation from Michael Cheika and we're going through a process, so I'm not really in a position to elaborate,” he said.
"We've had a presentation from Michael, we've had some data gathered from him, from his coaching staff, from his players and from our high performance unit and we need to go through a fairly thorough review process.
"We've got all the information we need and we'll be going through that process.
"I know people are very keen to know what's going on but I felt it was important to at least let you know where we are in that process and obviously we'll have more to say and have that process wrapped up ahead of Christmas."
For a sport struggling to win back disgruntled fans who remain deeply sceptical about the current board, Clyne’s inadequate announcement was compounded when he refused to answer any questions from journalists, leaving Australia’s disillusioned rugby fans in the dark as he scuttled back to the refuge of the boardroom.
The reaction on social media was swift and brutal, with furious fans describing Clyne’s wishy-washy statement as a “cop out”, a “joke” and one of the “lamest press updates” in Australian sport.
Former Wallaby Brendan Cannon, a long-time critic of the board’s lack of transparency and indecisiveness on key issues, posted a picture of a four-wheel-drive stuck in thick mud.
@rugbycomau - “going through the Processâ€.... I have provided some further data to highlight where we are at present. Thanks for your time pic.twitter.com/cLIySiMG9Q
— Brendan Cannon (@canno02) December 10, 2018
The board has had ample opportunities to fire Cheika after the Wallabies have lurched from one disaster to the next since reaching the World Cup final in 2015 but have been adamant that he remains the best man for the job.
Most expect he will survive because he has proven he can deliver on the big stage and Clyne had previously let it slip that the board couldn’t afford to sack Cheika, though he may have to part with some or all of his assistants because of ongoing questions about the effectiveness of defence coach Nathan Grey, attack coach Steve Larkham and the forwards coach Simon Raiwalui.
Cheika has always been fiercely loyal to his staff and has always got what he wanted in his previous reviews but the board’s reluctance to make a call is one of the first clear hints that some changes may be forthcoming before Santa climbs down the chimney.
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