Super Rugby-winning coach Michael Cheika has agreed to take charge of the Wallabies after the shock resignation of Ewen McKenzie and is negotiating the details, a report said on Monday.
McKenzie dropped his bombshell shortly after New Zealand narrowly beat Australia 29-28 in the final Bledisloe Cup Test in Brisbane on Saturday, throwing the Wallabies’ upcoming European tour into chaos.
The Australian newspaper, citing an “informed source”, said online that Cheika met with Australian Rugby Union chief Bill Pulver on Sunday and again Monday, and “had agreed to take the Wallabies job”.
The ARU was not immediately available for comment.
Pulver said on Sunday he had a list of options in mind for the job but had yet to speak with any of the potential candidates.
As well as NSW Waratahs coach Cheika, Springbok World Cup-winning mentor Jake White has also been linked with the job.
Pulver said that if it was not possible to appoint a new coach before the Wallabies leave Friday for a five-match tour in Europe against the Barbarians, Wales, France, Ireland and England, then an interim coach would be appointed.
“At this point, I don’t even know who can get on a plane on Friday. So next step for the rest of this day is trying to understand where we sit in terms of the options we’ve got and trying to make some progress,” he said on Sunday.
McKenzie’s unexpected exit added to the turmoil engulfing Australian rugby in the fall-out over the Kurtley Beale text scandal.
Beale has been suspended following an in-flight argument with team business manager Di Patston and claims that he sent offensive text messages about her.
Patston, who was appointed by McKenzie, has since quit.
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