Michael Cheika (Sydney, 55 years old) appears in the lounge on the roof of the Hotel Emperador, in the heart of Madrid’s Gran Vía, to attend a group of Spanish media. He is accompanied by a imposing entourage. next to him are Felipe Contepomi either Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbevery important figures in the history of the Argentine Rugbywhose greatest exponent, the men’s team, the cougars, train today.
He Australianthan before passed for ‘his’ Wallabies, Waratahs, Stade Français either leinsterhe has not noticed the change in culture too much because he had already had previous connections with the Argentine Rugby, tells AS: “My parents are from Lebanona mediterranean culture, so i can change with ease from a Latino environment to an Anglo-Saxon one and vice versa. And I have many argentinian friends: Felipe Contepomi, Mario Ledesma, Rodrigo Roncero, Leguizamón… I have trained them and I know them”. He tells that enjoy with passion what do you know puts everything in the southern cone. “You see it in football, in rugby… When you take part in a game there, it’s a great atmosphere.”
Argentina is the spearhead of a continent what has grown much oval in the last times. In it world next autumn there will be for the first time three teams from the region. In addition to yours, Uruguay and Chili. “He is growing a lot and well. They are laying a good foundation with competitions such as Super Rugby Americas. have uno good project. When you build from the base it is easier to advance later in the professional field, because there are already many people involved, interested. He south american rugby it is doing very well”, Cheika points out of this phenomenon.
also see green shoots in Spainwhere you think lack self esteem: “They have to believe in themselves. they shouldn’t think in themselves as a medium-low level team. When you represent your country you have to think differently. I coached the Lebanon sevens team and we had amateur players, it’s not a professional level. they know considered the best and from there you can reach your potential. see yourself that way is important. I was here years ago in a pre-season, I think with Leinster, and with the Rugby League too. The fact that the country is close to qualifying for the World Cup has brought big parties and progress . There are better coaches and better players”.
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“Everything starts with a good management, with future vision”, he adds, and believes that events such as the duel against the Classic All Blacks and the one on August 26 against his team are positive: “You have to play against good teams, lay solid foundations. You generate interest, the children are hooked… ”. “Spain is not far from playing a World Cup and I think for him they will qualify next”, he adds with an optimism that the Spanish fans will appreciate of a guy with his level of rugby knowledge.
Spain, “a challenge”
What do they get cougars of that game? “A challenge”. “Spain will play in home against a world team. It’s a great opportunity, and for us too, because the players want to be in the first game of the World Cup and there’s competition. Everyone wants to play,” adds a Cheika who is “enjoying” the experience so far. “Maybe I would have liked to win a few more games last year. There were a few that we could have taken with us, but it was a good season. We still have room for improvement. One thing I like is that we have good people between the players and the team around them. We understand that we have to change things to comply with us goals in the World Cup”, he confesses.
The last. What do you think of the change of selector in Australia, eddy jones by Dave Renie in a sudden cessation of the latter? Laconic answer: “It is a complicated situation. It has been done and that’s it. Eddie is a friend of mine and I don’t want to talk about it too much.”