Michael Cheika interview: Inside the Premiership’s biggest signing’s masterplan for bringing the good times back to Leicester Tigers

When Leicester’s past greats gathered for lunch on Thursday, Michael Cheika was asked to address them and he left them in no doubt that expectations were high for the club.

There were six World Cup winners in the room, led by iconic captain Martin Johnson, who played a key role in the formation of the ‘Sabretooth Tigers’ — as in, long-serving former players. Decorated Lions, Test legends, title winners and revered local stalwarts were everywhere. It’s a good thing Cheika is used to high-stakes coaching, because his guest appearance underlined the culture of success at what remains the biggest club in English rugby.

“I don’t know if there’s any pressure,” the Australian told Mail Sport in an exclusive interview. “I don’t think I feel it. I don’t see it as pressure, I see it as responsibility. There’s a reputation for success here. It’s the first time I’ve been anywhere like that. We don’t just have to live up to that reputation, we have to give it a few coats of paint. We want to play our part in building a rich history.”

Attending the ‘long lunch’ certainly helped him concentrate better on his first game as Leicester manager – Saturday’s match against Exeter at Sandy Park.

“There were some pretty illustrious guys in the room and you get a sense of what the club is about,” Cheika says. “You could feel that those guys want to see the team perform well. They were talking about the great times under this flag. They want to see it fly high again. I could feel that.

‘When I spoke I said I wanted to look under the bonnet and understand what makes this place special. From Martin’s (Johnson) generation they loved to play the game with real ferocity up front. I can identify with that brand of rugby. That’s what they’re known for; that fighting spirit. Do I want to change that? No — not a chance.’

For Cheika, it was just a short walk from one speaking engagement to the next; from setting up his stall in front of all those big names on Mattioli Woods’ Welford Road, past the Sabretooth-branded open-top bus in the car park, to his temporary home a few metres away, the Voco Hotel.

There, in the ‘Lair’ – the bar overlooking Leicester’s famous stadium – he discusses the decision to become the Premiership’s most eye-catching new signing this year.

Cheika has worked in some amazing cities including Sydney, Paris, Tokyo and Buenos Aires. Does his latest career stop in the East Midlands feel like a very different, down-to-earth environment?

“It’s not about comparing things, it’s about enjoying the experience wherever I go,” he says.

“I’ve always prided myself on being someone who can have a glass of champagne with a king or queen or a beer on a construction site. I’m not classist at all. Some places have more monuments than others and more airports, but people are people and you just enjoy the experience wherever you are.”

He has been scrambling to understand his new surroundings, from “why rugby is so at home here” to a broader understanding of Leicester and the surrounding region. “I’ve been to see the Foxes,” he says of Leicester’s football team. Asked if he knew about their title triumph eight years ago, he adds: “When they won the Premier League? Of course.

“I follow football. It’s a game for coaches because it’s so tactical and it’s interesting to watch. I went to see Manchester United vs Liverpool a couple of weeks ago and I went to see Leicester vs Spurs because I know a couple of the lads from the Spurs coaching team — Australian lads there.

‘I’ve also been visiting places in the city and small rural areas. Last night I was in a lovely country pub, I’ve been to all sorts of different places, just to understand a bit more why lads come to Leicester to play. I’ve also been getting the pre-season sorted out really quickly and building up a base because it’s all happened really quickly.’

The backstory of Cheika’s arrival is a two-part drama. The Tigers first attempted to recruit him at the end of the 2022-23 season, after Steve Borthwick and Kevin Sinfield abruptly left to answer their country’s call-up. But the timing wasn’t right.

“I was approached by Leicester but I was with Argentina and I never sign a deal to go somewhere when I’m with another team,” Cheika said. “I almost feel like it’s cheating. I felt honoured that they called me but I couldn’t make any commitments.

‘After the World Cup I took a little break, but in April or May I started thinking, ‘What am I going to do now?’. I had been approached to apply for a position with a club in the NRL (National Rugby League in Australia), which is something I would like to do in the future.

‘There must have been a lot going on at that point, so they (the Tigers) contacted me, but I said, ‘No, I’m going to play rugby, I want to give it a go’.

‘But not long after that it became clear that I wasn’t going to get that position, so I spoke to my wife and said, ‘This is a club I’ve always been interested in.’ It was about the logistics for us — how it would work; would everyone come here or not? It all happened in the space of a few days.’

His family has moved back to Sydney, where Cheika’s four teenage children have enrolled in a French school to continue their globetrotting, multilingual education, while Michael has set about getting his new club up and running.

“I had a chance to see the new strength and conditioning coach quickly,” he says. “He was finishing up at Catalans Dragons so I flew down to see him, we talked for a couple of days and three days later it was time.

‘Because I didn’t know anything about the facilities we had here or the technology, we came up with a pretty good plan. I said to the lads, ‘Hopefully this is the last time you have to do this kind of pre-season because we’re going to be playing later in the season from now on’.

Leicester have secured the services of a man with an impressive resume, having won the World Rugby Coach of the Year title, led Australia to the World Cup final and won the Heineken Cup with Leinster, beating the Tigers in 2009. Cheika will also continue his ongoing ‘passion’ project in the League, as manager of Lebanon.

Despite all he has achieved so far, the 57-year-old is convinced that the best is yet to come. ‘I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think that of myself,’ he says. ‘I’ve always tried to improve myself. I feel like there’s a lot more in me. I have a lot of experience now and I like the idea of ​​the challenge here.’

There will be an intention to keep his players interested by coming up with surprising tricks. In the past, he has had teams drink champagne early on Monday mornings, or given them engraved, personalized golf clubs, with the instruction to “take a swing” in more ways than one.

“I’ve got a few ideas for the lads here,” he says. “Those little tricks can be quite fun, but it’s all about telling a story to deliver a performance.” But how will his veteran England prop, Dan Cole, react when offered a glass of bubbly before training?

“He’s very layered. Would you expect him to do a podcast? There you have it. He’s a character. I’m sure he’ll have a glass of champagne, that’s for sure!”

Leicester finished eighth last season despite having a strong squad — which is why Dan McKellar was sacked after just a year in charge. His compatriot is adamant he can reignite the Tigers’ title ambitions in what could be his only campaign. Cheika believes he has the talent to reach the play-offs.

“All the players and fans want us to focus on winning,” he says. “We have a good squad. I’ve met guys who used to be my enemies. We’re not going to be ready on day one. But I want them to be physically strong, have a good work ethic and be ready to compete. I want people to see, ‘Oh, these guys are ready.'”

With Cheika around, that is a minimum expectation. Exeter and the rest will be on their toes. Johnson and all the other club greats will go into this season with renewed hope.