Under-fire Wallabies coach Michael Cheika given full support of Rugby Australia board despite results

MICHAEL Cheika is a man under pressure and the cracks are appearing to show — but the Wallabies coach has support in the right places, with Rugby Australia backing the embattled mentor.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 25: Wallabies coach Michael Cheika during The Rugby Championship game between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australia Wallabies at Eden Park on August 25, 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

UNDER-fire Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has the full support of the Rugby Australia board and will see out his contract, according to CEO Raelene Castle.

But at the same time, Castle said the governing body “can’t just ignore” the team’s below-par performances across the first two Bledisloe Cup Tests.

Castle is set to meet with Cheika later on Tuesday to discuss Australia’s form and what more needs to be done to bridge the ever-growing gap between the Wallabies and All Blacks.

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Head coach Michael Cheika chats with captain Michael Hooper after the second Bledisloe Cup Test. Picture: Getty

Castle name-checked defence as a problem area, potentially putting assistant coach Nathan Grey in the gun after the Wallabies leaked 78 points in their Bledisloe Cup defeats in Sydney and Auckland.

But Castle said there was no prospect Cheika would be sacked before the end of his current deal, which runs out after the 2019 World Cup.

“He’s contracted through to World Cup. He’s got a plan, we’re across that plan, we’re comfortable with it,” Castle told reporters in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Assistant coach Nathan Grey has been flagged as a potential replacement. Picture: AAP

“But clearly, you can’t just ignore the performances, they’re not acceptable.

“So it’s about what can we do to support him as an organisation to make sure he’s got what he needs to make sure the Wallabies are successful as we lead into that World Cup.

“Certainly from our perspective, the board and myself, our support’s behind Michael Cheika.”

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Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle says Cheika has the full support of the board. Picture: AAP

Castle said Rugby Australia would explore if Cheika and his coaching staff needed “extra support” to improve their on-field prospects.

But after full-time assistant coaches were introduced for the first time this year and a trial match arranged to blow out any pre-Rugby Championship cobwebs, it’s hard to imagine what more could be done.

“There’s different parts of the game we haven’t performed, particularly around our defence, and that would be something that we’ll be having a conversation about,” Castle said.

“I don’t think it’s about changing what we’ve got, it’s about what can we bring. We’ve got a wide rugby community that’s had significant success on the world stage.

Michael Cheika has become increasingly grumpy in his dealings with the media. Picture: AAP

“What can we use in those experts that are proud Australians that want to help the Wallabies to make sure that we can continue to be successful?” Australia haven’t won the Bledisloe Cup since 2002.

“It’s hard, because we all want to beat New Zealand. That’s the reality. They’re the benchmark, they have been for such a long period of time,” Castle said.

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Originally published as Under-fire Wallabies coach Michael Cheika given full support of Rugby Australia board despite results