Michael Cheika said on Monday he hopes to turn a one-year contract with Leicester into a longstanding arrangement as the Australian coach looks to revive the Tigers’ fortunes.
Cheika was living in Paris and all set to return to Australia with his family, when he was approached by English Premiership club Leicester to replace Dan McKellar, who unexpectedly left in late June after only one season in charge.
Former Australia and Argentina boss Cheika, who has described himself as a turnaround specialist, has signed a one-year contract with options to extend his time at Leicester.
The Tigers, once the pre-eminent team in the English game, finished eighth in the 10-team Premiership last season but Cheika insisted: “We’re in it to win everything.
“It all happened relatively quickly. A job is about the right person for the right team at the right time, and it was just the right time for me.”
The 57-year-old, whose wife and four children have returned to Australia, added: “I’ve had some contact with Leicester way back in different periods and the timing hadn’t worked out.
“I probably wasn’t aiming to come into the Premiership, but when a club like Leicester makes that approach and that opportunity fits you at the right time, it’s almost impossible not to take it.
“I just got whatever I could and stuck it in a bag and left the family in Paris for a while. I’m still in a hotel because the priority was to just get over here. You can always settle in later on.”
– ‘Reputation’ –
Cheika, asked about the length of his deal, replied: “The one-year contract is because of the speed and the personal situation. We really didn’t talk about it too much, we just sort of said yes and it happened.
“I would like to think that this is going to be a longstanding thing once I can get those personal things worked out.”
Following years of poor performance, Steve Borthwick steered Leicester to the Premiership title in 2022 only for him to be recruited by England, with the remainder of his staff following him to Twickenham.
Cheika now faces the difficult task of respecting Leicester’s tradition of strong forward play, while expanding their game as well.
“Sometimes when you play for a club like this you feel you have to live up to the reputation which has been set, when the real objective is to build it even greater,” he said.
“I believe that even though the club might have that identity based around gritty, aggressive forward play – which suits me down to the ground, mind you — they’ve also got a strong history of playing with some outstanding backs.
“It won’t change a lot about who we are, but to win at the top level you need to be good at everything, have many strings to your bow so that you are able to compete for titles on both fronts,” explained Cheika.
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