By Brett McKay

Like his former Randwick teammate and now English counterpart Eddie Jones, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is an engrossing conversation away from the all-in press conference situation. His demeanour is very similar to what you see on TV, but when he gets the chance to expand and be expressive, the honesty is quite refreshing.

Now free of the Super Rugby commitments that made the first half of his 2015 ridiculously busy for a Rugby World Cup year, Cheika has been able to spend the first half of this year in observation mode.

It was really interesting to speak in depth with the Wallabies coach on a number of topics surrounding this series, and the state of the game in Australia.

On his approach this season, now he’s not coaching Super Rugby too…

With no Super Rugby coaching programme this year, is having more time on your hands a good or a bad thing for your anticipation levels?

“Oh no, I’m not one of those… I’m not going to get anxious about it or anything.  I’m looking forward to getting back on the field, obviously, because that is what we love doing.  It’s the most fun.

“I’ve enjoyed watching the other teams. We have had a lot more collaboration over the last two years between the national and state teams, just talking about the relationships between the coaches and the access they have given us to the players. We have had our ‘morning after’ meetings; we’ve kept in touch with the squad once a month, to remind them what’s going on and to keep their heads in tune with the importance of playing for Australia, and the honour, and all that type of thing, and getting to talk to some of the newer players on the scene.

“There’s still be a lot I have been doing and it’s given me the chance to get out (around the Super Rugby teams), and to look at the longer term as well – which you have to be doing at the same time, as well as preparing for each Test individually – getting planning right into the next World Cup and preparing some legacy stuff for later on, for the guy that is going to take over as next coach.”

Would it be fair to say that with more time on your hands, that this year you have taken a different approach to the way you planned things this time last year?

“This season is a different look.  This is the first time I manage a series inside Super Rugby.  Last year we had a bit more of a run in to get guys prepared the way we wanted to them physically, even if it’s a week or two here or there.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of guys who have been involved with that as players, to see what it feels like going around from Super Rugby to Tests and knowing that you will be going back to Super Rugby not long after, just little bits and pieces like that.

“It’s a different season to be planned; a full Rugby Championship – home and away – so it’s a totally different look at our season and we’ve planned accordingly.”

On the bigger picture of having the Wallabies playing a certain way well…

Were you able to enjoy a bit of down time earlier this year, knowing that it’s going to get busy as the year goes on?

“Not really.  December I had a few weeks away with the family to spend some time together which was lovely.

“The opportunity that’s here is too good to miss. Taking every day to try to influence people to enjoy the game, or be involved in improving our team; trying to work on that with the coaches and the coaching set up going forward, all the way down to juniors. I want to try and make a difference on that front.

“With the team that is the priority and also other responsibilities that come with trying to set a way or a spirit of how we want to play the game here in Australia. It’s something that we probably haven’t done, setting the groundwork there.  Compared to other countries, we are running off pretty minimal staffing; the coaches are coaching state teams, and we’ve got a minimal sort of preparation around the team until we get into season.

“So I have to do a lot more around that stuff; watching a lot more footy then I did before, looking at the recruitment cycle, all that type of stuff.

“Also preparing other things that may have been lacking before; rebuilding that stuff so we have some comparison pieces.  They’re all little bits, but if we can improve on them we will be better for it.  That will mean everybody will be better, and people will enjoy watching the game – and that is the end goal; more people into the game.

More bums on seats…

“Not just bums on seats, but a better connection to the team. We get the opportunity to play as Australia more than anyone else.

“When you play as Australia everyone in the country is supporting you. You get other people looking at you, and enjoying the way you play.  You might have league supporters and AFL supporters who watch rugby and they like the way the Australian team plays its rugby so they will watch you play.

“It doesn’t always translate into cash; I’m not into that. Sport is a big part of our community here in Australia, and it can provide people with a lot of happiness on a day to day basis.  Coming into work after having watched the team play and you have made them proud and happy.

“I know I did when I watched the rugby team or the league team or the cricket team or the soccer team or the America’s Cup, even. It’s the same type of thing.”

Is it heartening to see more wallaby jerseys on the street again?  Is it good to see that as a rugby fan, and obviously, as the Wallabies coach as well?

“Oh, absolutely, mate; it’s that Idea of having people who really want to be a part of it.  All that other stuff like results is important, and I’m down with that; I’ve been coaching professionally for a while, so I know that stuff and that all that counts.

“Nothing’s better than seeing young kids in the Wallabies jersey coming to a fan day, or seeing you in the street, and they want to be exactly like Bernard Foley or Christian Lealiifano or Sean McMahan.

“The reason why I say that – and you might think that that’s your job as a professional coach –  is if kids are thinking like that, then the player must be doing something good and there is a good chance that you’re winning. It all links in together.

“It’s not just, ‘it’s your job to win’; I know all that. I also know that winning can be a consequence of doing other things well, and being good people and good players – especially in the gold jersey – then that makes a massive difference to how we are supported. That then also makes a massive difference in how we play, because when we have great support we are generally going to play better.”

On his lessons from the RWC defeat, and the improvements for this June series…

What were your big takeaways from the RWC, about your game plan particularly?

“I think that no matter how many times rugby goes around in a circle – all these new fads and trends – set piece is king.  You can do lots with it, but you can’t do a lot without it.

“That’s a big work-on for us. We still have a lot of work to do in that area; scrum, line out, driving maul, all that type of stuff, because we are coming up against the best in the business in that area, and we want to be improving as much as we can before we get to that game.”

That’s obviously an area of focus that we can expect a definite push on in this June series?

“All the time.  Not just this series.

“That’s the basics of rugby, and you would be naive not to work hard on that first up because that will give you the ball, and that will try and take the ball away from your opponent. So there’s the number one.

“Kick-off is another one all those simple things.  We always want to talk about the more spectacular stuff but that is where the action really started. You must pay due attention to those things.

“If you look back to World Cup Final, we struggled a bit in the lineout, and who knows what we could have done better there if we did better there.  I have to take full responsibility for that because I didn’t push hard enough to evolve that piece, and make it something the opposition couldn’t master us on, and they did master us in that game.”

That’s a pretty frank admission for a professional coach… 

“It’s the truth.  That is what I want to base this team on – the truth.”

Can you ever believe that England and Australia have never played a three-Test series before?

“No, I can’t.  It’s pretty weird.  I thought that’s what they used to do all the time.

“In our team of players, and coaches even, I’m in a unique position as I am the only one that hasn’t played Test footy. All my assistant coaches have played test footy, all the players obviously have – bar any debutants.”

“I’m in a pretty unique position to say that every time you play would be amazingly special, and in the instance where it is three Tests against one country it’s even more challenging, because you are going up against that guy every week.

“It’s really good. It’s the battle element, there’s media revenge opportunity for those that don’t succeed.  I like the three-Test series, I think it is good.”