An Australian rugby union former rugby union coach is named for Michael Cheika. Moreover, he is also a footballer. He was the coach of the Australian national team. He is the only coach to have won the major rugby club competition in each hemisphere, winning the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009 and the Super Rugby competition with the New South Wales Waratahs in the year 2014. He was also the head coach at Padova, Randwick and Stade Francais. Previously, he worked for dress designer Collette Dinnigan, before starting a multimillion-dollar fashion business of his own called Live Fashion. Michael Cheika lifted the lid on his broken relationship with Rugby Australia bosses after confirming he will quit as Wallabies coach at the end of the year. He won’t seek an extension to the five years he has served after the Wallabies were beaten 40-16 by England in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup.
Bio, Early Life, Parents, Age (52), Religion of Michael Cheika
On 4th March 1967, Michael Cheika was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He holds Australian nationality and his ethnicity is White. As of 2019, he celebrated his 52nd birthday with his friends and families. He is the son of Lebanese migrants. He was born to Carol and Joe, his parents. He is the youngest of three children and grew up in a working-class home in Coogee, New South Wales. His religion is Christian. There is no information regarding his education.
Body Stats of Michael Cheika
Michael is a very handsome and charming face person with black hair color and dark brown eye color. Being at the age of fifty-two, he maintained his body a lot by doing exercises and by maintaining a diet. His body build is Average. With his glowing face, he has been able to grab a lot of people's attention towards him. At present, his exact body measurements including his height, weight, dress size and more have not been revealed by any sources. Moreover, he himself has not mentioned anything regarding his body measures to the media. Overall, he has got a healthy body.
Rugby Career of Michael Cheika
- Michael played for Australia at under 21 levels. He was number 8.
- He played more than 300 games for Randwick, winning the Shute Shield seven times during a period when the Galloping Greens dominated Sydney rugby.
- He also made a mid-career move to Europe in 1989.
- In there, he had two seasons in the South of France with Castres Olympique in Division 1, and a season for Paris team Club Athletique des Sports Generaux (later merged with Stade Francais) in Division 2.
- After that, he joined the Italian side Rugby Livorno from 1992 to the year 1994.
- He captained Randwick from 1997 and 1999 and he also represented New South Wales on their spring tour of the UK in 1997.
Professional Coaching Career of Michael Cheika
- David Campese brought Michael's attention to a coaching job in Italy in the year 1999.
- heika and Knox coached Petrarca Padova through a Heineken Cup campaign which did not yield any wins.
- After that, he returned to Sydney in 2001 when his father fell ill.
- He replaced Declan Kidney as head coach at Leinster in the year 2005.
- His first season culminated in a Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster, which Munster won 30-6, on their way to lifting the trophy.
- His second season in charge was a difficult one, as Leinster were knocked out of the Heineken Cup at the quarterfinal stage by London Wasps.
- He led Leinster to European success, guiding the team to the 2009 Heineken Cup Final.
- He led Leinster to top of the table in the revamped 2009-2010 Celtic League in his final season in charge.
- He then left his post with Leinster Rugby at the end of that season to become head coach for French Top 14 side Stade Francais.
- He became the Director of Rugby of the Paris-based club between 2010 and 2012.
- Stade Francais improved on their previous standing, finishing seventh with 11 wins in the 2011-2012 Top 14 season.
- He was later appointed as head coach of the New South Wales Waratahs in 2012 for the 2013 Super Rugby season.
- He also led the team against the British and Irish Lions, losing the match 47-17.
- He was responsible for signing Israel Folau from AFL side Greater Western Sydney Giants, who made a massive impact on the Wallabies in his debut season.
- He coached the Waratahs to their first-ever Super Rugby title in his second season in charge.
- During the 2015 Super Rugby season, the Waratahs campaign to retain their title started with a 25-13 loss to the Western Force in Sydney.
- He was appointed as the head coach of the Australia national team on 22nd October 2014 with a 3-year contract.
- His first match as a coach was a non-capped game against the Barbarians, with the Wallabies winning 40-36.
- He lost his first match against France a week later, with Australia being defeated 29-26.
- In the lead up to the 2015 World Cup, he is credited for inventing Giteau's law which enabled overseas-based players to play for Australia.
- He made multiple changes to his side for each match despite the Wallabies' winning form during the 2015 Rugby Championship.
- He also led Australia to the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final.
- He was named 2015 World Rugby Coach of the Year on 1st November.
- He then led Australia to second in the 2016 Rugby Championship despite losing the first two matches on an aggregate score of 71-17 against New Zealand.
- In the final Bledisloe Cup on 22nd October, Australia was defeated 37-10, conceding 18 points in the closing 20 minutes.
- His 2017 season started with a 37-14 victory over Fiji where Cheika gave four players their international debut.
- His final test was a record defeat at the hands of Scotland, losing 53-24 in Edinburgh for the first time since 2009.
- The Wallabies endured a shocking run in the year 2018; in June, he led the team to a series defeat against Ireland, losing 2-1 having won the first test 18-9.
- He faced severe criticism over the team's form and a string of poor results during the 2018 Rugby Championship.
- His team endured a similarly dismal run in the 2018 autumn internationals, losing 9-6 to Wales.
- The Wallabies ended 2018 with a sixth consecutive defeat to England, going down 37-18.
- His 2019 season began with the change in the Australian set-up, beginning with the sacking of Stephen Larkham as attack coach and the introduction of a selection panel made up of Cheika, newly selected Director of Rugby Scott Johnson and Michael O'Connor who acts as an independent away from the national team coaching team.
- The new process started with a 35-17 loss to South Africa in the opening round of the 2019 Rugby Championship.
- Australia won three of their four pool matches but a close loss to Wales led to a quarter-final fixture with England at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
- A defeat by 40-16 in that match ended the Australian campaign and the following day.
- He announced that he would resign as head coach by the end of the year 2019.
- His contract had been due to expire following the World Cup.
Personal Life of Michael Cheika
Michael Cheika is a married person and he was married to his wife, Stephanie. The couple married on June 2008. Information regarding their dating history has not been revealed yet. They are the proud parents of four children. As of now, the family is leading a happy life without any disturbances and without any sign of divorce between them. The couple is often seen with their children. The family is enjoying their life a lot. His sexual orientation is straight. Thus, he is not gay.
Net Worth, Salary, Earnings of Michael Cheika
Michael is a very hardworking person and he is dedicated to his work. Due to his passions, he is very successful in his professional career. His major source of earning is from Rugby Union. The net worth of this famous coach will be surely in millions but the exact figure is still to get unfold yet. Along with his net worth, his salary has also kept in under a review. As Michael himself has not revealed anything regarding his earnings. Overall, he is satisfied with his earnings without a doubt.
