Why there are no guarantees with Michael Cheika’s second coming

August 22, 2026 — 9:30am

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“As I said very clearly on my return, I am not and never will be a Messiah; it will take a team effort.”

So said John O’Neill in The Sun-Herald in 2009, two years into his second spell as chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union, as it was called then. The tenure proved more difficult than the first, and successful second comings in Australian rugby are a tricky business – Eddie Jones being the most recent piece of evidence.

So, while Michael Cheika’s return to the Waratahs is something to be welcomed – he’s one of the big beasts of the coaching jungle – it does come with a warning.

It’s not as if O’Neill, Jones or Cheika lose the qualities that made them successful in the first instance. It’s that the world around them changes, and they return to jobs that are more complex and challenging than before.

Superficially, there are some similarities between Cheika’s first crack at the Waratahs and his........

© The Age