Australian coach is switching codes for a chance to lead the country of his parents’ birth at the Rugby League World Cup
“I feel like a kid in a new school, meeting all my new friends for the first time,” Michael Cheika says, smiling. The former Wallabies coach is in Manchester where his Lebanon team are preparing for the Rugby League World Cup, and the 55-year-old Australian is beginning his month-long flirtation with the 13-man code.
Some individuals switch codes for money. Others do it to further their careers. Cheika, one of the most recognisable rugby coaches on the planet, isn’t interested in either. His brief transition into the world of rugby league is much more personal and far more emotional.
