‘Michael Cheika suits the Premiership, he just gets stuck in’
I remember when I was a player at Stade Francais in Paris, Michael Cheika wanting to get involved with training at an authentic level.
He got absolutely smashed by former French lock Pascal Papé and Italian legend Sergio Parisse, leaving the Aussie at the bottom of a ruck.
“F**k yeah, f**k yeah,” the former Wallabies coach would exclaim afterwards with glee. It was a mark of the kind of involvement Cheika wanted with his players.
And it demonstrates exactly why he could thrive at a club like Leicester Tigers.
Cheika mate
It is not often you see a team go down to Sandy Park in Devon and come away with a positive result but, in his first game as Leicester boss, that is exactly what the Tigers did – Tommy Reffell’s score with the clock in the red the deciding contribution from the Midlanders.
Their 17-14 victory last weekend was spectacular, not for the purists but one for those who weren’t sure whether Leicester’s off-season upheaval was worth the effort.
Cheika is certainly the kind of personality the Premiership needs as it looks to build marketable profiles among squads and teams.
And I think Michael is just suited to club rugby. By no means was he bad with Australia, Argentina or Lebanon – the latter in rugby league – but he seems to thrive off having a group of lads to develop and nurture daily.
And with Leicester he will have the buy-in of players such as Dan Cole, the elder statesman, while inspiring new hires and players that he personally recruits.
I think Exeter boss Rob Baxter will have been taken aback by the power and composure Leicester showed down at Sandy Par. The Chiefs are no slouches at home and to be hit with a smash and grab like the one Cheika orchestrated would have hurt.
But of course one game does not win you a title, and Leicester must now face the might of Bath at home this weekend.
Might of Bath
The West Country outfit battered champions Northampton Saints in the opening round and will fancy themselves at Leicester Tigers this weekend.
They’re a well-drilled team and can mix it up between rugged forward plays and silky attacking moves.
But Cheika isn’t new to this; his time at Stade and with the Waratahs would have taught him about complacency and assuming every team plays the same.
Bath will be difficult opponents but should Leicester take the win at their fortress in the East Midlands then it would represent a huge signal of intent to the other nine teams in the league.
With just 10 clubs in the Premiership now there are only 18 regular season rounds. When there were 13 teams and 24 games you could lose your opening pair and still be in contention.
But in this new, leaner league – due to the loss of Worcester Warriors, London Irish and Wasps – being on two wins after two matches when there’s just 16 games left could be a huge psychological advantage.
Suddenly you’re already thinking about the remainder of the season and who you have left. And the sides who have just one win, or none at all, already feel like they’re chasing the game.
The positive start for Cheika could soon be halted by Bath, and with the West Country side my favourites for the title that wouldn’t be a big shock, but he’s got off the mark in England and he’s got a taste for it.
And in my experience that’s only going to drive him forwards. It’s going to be great to see how he deals with the inevitable pressure when it comes.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11