“It hurt me”: Leicester boss Michael Cheika made to feel ‘unwanted’ over ban
Michael Cheika was handed a two-game suspension with one of them suspended until the end of the season
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Michael Cheika is one of rugby’s greatest coaches.
Over the past 20 years, he has taken charge of some of the premier sides in the sport including Leinster - where he won a European title - as well as leading Australia to the 2015 World Cup final.
Therefore, when it was announced in June that Cheika would become head coach of Leicester Tigers, one of the Premiership’s most historic clubs, there was a buzz and excitement around the league.
His side started well, clinching a victory against Exeter Chiefs at the death and despite a home loss in Round Two to a strong Bath side, the Tigers were progressing well.
But things quickly turned sour as the RFU announced that Cheika was to be handed a two-week ban, with one of the weeks suspended until the end of the season, for disrespecting an independent match doctor in their opening round match at Sandy Park.
On Monday, Cheika questioned the decision to suspend him and stated that the whole process had made him feel unwanted in English rugby.
“It’s hurt me, but the thing I’m happy with is that it didn’t hurt the team,” Cheika said, referring to Leicester’s 42-10 win over Newcastle in his absence.
“The distraction more than me not being there, they were fine without me there but there was distraction and I thought we handled it really well. No one really knew what was going on until the day before.”
Cheika will return to the coach's box at Mattioli Woods Welford Road this weekend for their East Midlands derby clash against Northampton Saints.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s fixture, Cheika explained his side of events that led to his ban for “a persistent challenge” to an independent doctor over a decision to keep two Tigers players on the field when both should have been removed under concussion protocols.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t really disappointed. Initially, I didn’t want to participate at all in the judicial process. I didn’t think it was fair considering we had three people there vouch for what I said in the event.
“I really was quite stubborn about not participating, and if I took a ban, I’d take it on the chin but I knew there’d be consequences for my owners if that happened.
“But after speaking to the CEO and based on my respect for her and for the club, I decided to participate, and thus, by participating, you have to adhere to the outcome.
“I did participate and have to adhere to the decision that was made. I felt that it wasn’t right. It hurts my reputation.
“I was really disappointed. I almost felt like, and it’s like I’m spitting the dummy here, but I felt like they don’t really want me to be in the league because what happened, in reality, is a minor-type thing.
“I’ve had my issues in the past, and I’ve made big ground over that over the last 10 years as I’ve gotten older and more mature, understanding when to do what.
“Sometimes people aren’t the same as you. I’ve got a different set of experiences than the panel in relation to dealing with those things on the ground and the doctor as well, and that’s all it is.
“They’ve made the decision, and like I said, once I participated in the process, I have to live with that decision.
“I watched the [Newcastle] game remotely. Obviously, it was pretty weird and a new experience for me. I watched it from Paris. You can’t let the powers that be stop you from having a good time.
“My wife was here for seven days and was going to come up to Newcastle, but when I wasn’t going to be involved, she decided to go to Paris where we’ve been living so I decided to spend the day with her.
“I didn’t like watching it remotely. I wanted to be there. We had a few obstacles leading up to it, but I thought the players handled the day really well.”
Looking ahead to this weekend’s meeting with Northampton, Cheika was clearly aware of the importance of the fixture.
“Look, it’s not hard to work out when you're 40 minutes down the road from someone. I know that from growing up and playing footy myself, that cross-town rivalry.
“I've experienced that in my career as well at Stade Francais and Racing, Leinster and Munster and Castres vs Toulouse as a player.
“There’s a rivalry that comes with proximity and you want to have bragging rights, and it hurts when you lose. Even in the professional era, those things still exist, and they’re just as strong.”
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