Spring tour: Wallabies are ‘nobody’, says Michael Cheika

Michael Cheika has rubbished the notion that Scotland will be easiest side to beat on the rest of the spring tour.

Australia coach Michael Cheika: ‘We’ve got no reason to have an ego, we’ve been getting battered around a little bit this year.’ Picture: AFP

Michael Cheika has rubbished the notion that Scotland will be the easiest of the remaining three teams standing in the way of Australia’s first Grand Slam since 1984, saying the Wallabies are “nobody” after a disappointing year.

While Australia trounced Wales 32-8 last weekend in an encouraging start to their spring tour, and Scotland are the ­lowest-ranked side they’ll play, Cheika refused to accept they’ll be an easier proposition than ­Ireland — who just defeated the All Blacks — and England, who beat his side 3-0 in the June home series.

“Who are we? We’re nobody. Why have we got a higher ­status? We’ve got nothing,” Cheika said ahead of the clash at Murrayfield.

“Right now, both teams are equal and the only thing that separates them is what happens on match day. No one is looking at (rankings), the only thing we’re looking at is Saturday.

“We’ve got a year of 15 Tests against the top eight nations and they’re all going to give us something. We’ve had a big change of personnel, 12 debutants. In the match squad here there’s going to be eight or nine players in ­single-digit Test ­numbers.

“We’re thinking in an entirely different manner. Like every opponent on this tour, they’ll pose the maximum threat because they’re the team in front of us.”

Asked if there was a danger his players were already thinking ahead to Ireland and England, Cheika replied: “I don’t think so. We’ve got France before then too. We haven’t spoken about any of the other games on tour, because what’s the point?

“I don’t see any challenge ­bigger than the other over here. I’ve been over here and experienced coaching in the northern hemisphere and I feel like I know what everyone can bring on the day and we know that everyone is difficult.”

Cheika only has to look back to his first assignment as Wallabies coach, the spring tour two years ago, to be reminded of how quickly things can turn sour when his side started with a win against Wales but then lost to France, Ireland and England in successive weeks.

“When we came here in 2014, in my first experience of coaching, we had a win in Wales and then got turned up the next week, you went from feeling fantastic to feeling rubbish,” Cheika said.

“So we know we’ve got to reset our clock, we knew that from the start.”