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Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika has copped plenty of heat over the last few months. A 2-1 home series defeat to Ireland in June has been followed by a disappointing Rugby Championship campaign so far.
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Questions over his tenure escalated on the back of two defeats to the All Blacks at the start of the Rugby Championship, but died down somewhat following a 23-18 home win over the Springboks in round 3.
But speculation over Cheika’s tenure resurfaced following a 23-19 home defeat to Argentina next time out, which was a first home defeat to the Pumas in 35 years.
But former Western Force assistant coach John Mulvihill has leapt to the defence of the former Leinster, Stade Francais and Waratahs head coach.
“I think the Aussie media ask a lot of questions, but sometimes they are the same questions. Sometimes you see an improvement in the game,” the Cardiff Blues head coach told RugbyPass at a Champions Cup launch in Dublin.
“If there is someone that is going to shake the team up, I think Michael Cheika has done very well over the last couple of years to get what he’s got out of them, but you know you can’t forget that they lost the final of a World Cup (2015), they were not far away, just after half-time they were still in the contest. So they are not far away and he’s got a knack of getting them right for the right competition and I think we could just wait to 2019 and see how it goes. When it comes down to one game you always have a chance
“I think you could move a coach on if you had someone who could step into that breach, but I think in Australian rugby he is probably the right man for the job at the moment. He has had the team for a while, he is building into the World Cup year and I think that people just need to get behind him and get behind the Wallabies and help them be the best team that they can be.”
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