He led the Waratahs to their first super rugby title in 19 years and transformed Leinster from basement residents into competitors. Now Michael Cheika is ready for another challenge.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the former Wallabies coach will take on the role of head coach at French second division club Beziers.
The acquisition of the French club by UAE billionaire investors is expected to take place in the coming days and the club will be successful as a result.
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If the change of ownership is confirmed, Beziers is expected to step up the search for reputable agencies to bring the club back to its heyday after having won eleven French championship titles since its founding in 1911.
All Blacks stars Ma’a Nonu and Beauden Barrett have been linked as main goals.
There have been reports last week that linked Cheika to the British Premiership team Gloucester, but he is seen as the logical choice for realizing Bezier’s vision.
Cheika has a track record of rebuilding poorly performing clubs.
He took over the Waratahs in 2013 when the team was no longer in the final for the first time since 2008.
He was unable to achieve an immediate success and helped NSW to a ninth place overall in his first season.
But the patience paid off in the end when he led the Waratahs to championship glory in 2014 and encouraged the team to launch a more exciting, expansive rugby brand.
His work at Leinster was equally impressive.
As a much less experienced trainer, Cheika’s aggressive and firm personality got the best out of a team that, according to Mark Robson, chief commentator at Sky Sports, is known for being full of “soft city slickers, the lady boys of Irish rugby”.
Few people knew who Cheika was – that was the barge that Leinster took.
It paid off when he coached her to victory in 2009 and defeated Leicester to win her first Heineken Cup, as Cheika was the only coach to win both the northern and southern hemisphere continental club trophies.
Beziers was a powerhouse of French rugby between the 1970s and 1980s, but struggled for the recent success after having relegated several times.
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