Michael Cheika is currently thousands of miles away from his family, so he plans to help out at a soup kitchen in Leicester on Christmas Day before dealing with a dilemma over his future.
The Australian has transformed the Tigers, having been hired in a hurry after the East Midlands club relinquished the services of his compatriot Dan McKellar at the end of last season.
Leicester had finished eighth in the Premier League and were a quality team underperforming, but Cheika’s galvanizing impact has seen them win five of their opening seven games this league season, finishing in third place heading into Saturday’s home game against the second-placed Bristol.
As it stands, the former Australia and Argentina head coach will leave at the end of this season, but that situation is subject to review. With his wife and four children back home in Sydney, Cheika must quickly weigh personal factors before his club’s New Year deadline delivers a verdict.
Decision day is just around the corner, but first there’s Christmas Day and a change of scenery. “This year I’m alone because my family isn’t there, so I thought it would be fun to volunteer somewhere,” Cheika said when asked about his plans. “That’s an opportunity I get because I’m here alone and I think it’s a good way to spend my energy; maybe serve lunch or dinner to the homeless, or people who need it.”
Once he has done his celebratory good deeds, further cementing his towering reputation in Leicester and the surrounding rugby heartlands, Cheika will make a judgment call on his plans. The club wants him to stay, the players want him to stay, the fans want him to stay – and he may want to stay, but there are important family considerations. The distance is difficult.
Michael Cheika has galvanized Leicester Tigers to take them third in the table
With extensive experience at the top level, Cheika brings an image that has inspired the players
There is a strong bond between Cheika, the players and the supporters of Leicester
Having initially only signed for a year, he said: ‘The deal came about that way for certain reasons. So what I need to do to change that is find a solution so that those reasons don’t become a barrier or a barrier to doing it.
‘I’m still where I was in terms of a one-year contract, but I’ve been speaking to the club regularly and asking them when they definitely need to hear from me. I imagine it will be soon. “I will have to give them a decision, so I will try to find some solutions that can help me get the chance to stay.”
With that deadline looming, the short-term prospects for the biggest club in English rugby are at a razor’s edge over Christmas.
Sources have indicated that discussions are underway with potential candidates to take over if Cheika decides to leave. Former Tigers front-row player Graham Rowntree is an obvious contender, with his knowledge of the club and his title-winning pedigree from a productive spell at Munster.
England attacking coach Richard Wigglesworth is another possible target, having previously served as interim head coach.
Leicester chief Andrea Pinchen has praised Cheika’s impact, telling Mail Sport: ‘It’s no surprise he has done so well. We knew we were getting a top quality coach, leader and person. He has absolutely lived up to the high expectations.”
News of Cheika’s signing was quickly hailed as a coup for Leicester and good news for the profile of the Premier League. “You could see the impact within days of our announcement that he was joining,” Pinchen added. “He became the face of the league. I’ve been told many times since the summer that this was the biggest signing in the league in a long time. And the connection we’ve seen between fans and Michael is something special. They took him away.’
It’s no surprise that as the club engages in contingency planning – with Cheika fully aware of that process – they are desperate to retain his services.
The Australian cross-code coach strengthened the profile of the Premier League with his arrival
He has only been here for a year and will have to confirm soon whether or not he will stay
Ben Youngs says he has had a ‘huge presence’ from the moment he walked into the club
“We want Michael to stay,” Pinchen said. “Given the first half of the season, what we have seen from Michael and the improvement, we would like him to stay. It is the sentiment within the club. But we know it’s a decision he has to make with his family in mind, and we are in discussions with him about this in the first instance.”
Under McKellar, Leicester lacked tactical clarity, as well as their trademark spirit and ferocity. Under Cheika, they have regained a sense of direction and purpose, unity and passion.
How has Cheika already made such a difference? Leicester’s experienced scrum-half, Ben Youngs, offered a fascinating insight. First, he explained that the new boss brought with him a healthy dose of humility to match his towering reputation.
“From the moment he walked in he was a huge presence,” he told Mail Sport. “The first time he came in, he said, ‘Guys, I’m not going to put on the uniform yet. I won’t put it on until I feel like I’m ready, I’m part of the team and I deserve to wear your strip. I want to understand Leicester; the culture of the club, the city, the surrounding villages and the province. And I want to get to know you guys. Then, when I’ve earned the right, I’ll wear the shirt.”
‘Cheik has an enormous pedigree. He’s been there and done it, and you’re hanging on his every word. I’ve had coaches before who weren’t even convinced of what they were saying, so they’re not going to convince the 40 guys sitting there trying to believe in it.”
In terms of significant changes that have had a positive effect, there has been a revision of the training schedule. Crucially, Cheika has had the courage to understand that less can be more, releasing his squad on Sunday and Monday after Saturday’s matches. Then there is his proactive rather than reactive attitude.
“I like his mentality that we have to focus on what we can do, rather than other coaches who are obsessed with stopping the opposition,” Youngs said. ‘Give me Cheika’s mentality, every day. He sees it as: ‘This is what we’re going to do and they have to stop us.’
All the years of pursuing a globetrotting, multi-lingual, cross-code career in coaching have given Cheika a rare insight into what makes players tick.
He initially refused to wear the Leicester kit, telling the stars he had to ‘earn the right’ to do so
The Tigers have greater tactical clarity and have regained the ferocity with which they are associated
Cheika gives his team Sunday and Monday off and adheres to the rule ‘less is more’
On Christmas Day he will spend time volunteering while his family lives in Australia
He worked before England in Australia, France, Ireland, Japan, Argentina and Lebanon.
He has learned so much about how to interact, how to lead, and how to inspire the men who will figuratively run through brick walls for him.
“A big factor is his people skills,” Youngs said. ‘He understands that human aspect. His meetings are good. He brought a huge amount of birthday cake the other day and said if anyone has a kid, he brings champagne and everyone should have a glass before we train. He loves that we get to enjoy it too.”
Speaking on behalf of the entire Leicester team, Youngs expressed his wish for Cheika to extend his stay. Some players are waiting to see what he will do as it will determine their own plans. But even if he leaves, there may be a compromised consultancy arrangement.
“Once you become part of the environment and the match experience at Leicester it becomes difficult to leave,” Youngs said. ‘But his situation is unique. His family is back in Oz, so I don’t know. As players, we’ve all got our fingers and toes crossed, hoping he doesn’t walk away.
“If he does that, we all respect what he has already built. Maybe he will go, but he will be joining Chris Boyd (former Northampton director of rugby) and in an advisory role. I think he would probably want to stay involved in some way.”
A consultancy deal would be a consolation for the Tigers, their board, their new-look squad and their huge fan base who are once again harboring title ambitions. But what they really want – after years of turmoil – is for Cheika to find those ‘work-around’ solutions to stay on as head coach.