Adam Peacock: Australian Correspondent on Michael Cheika's potential return as Wallabies coach, Australia v England in the Champion's Trophy, and the Matilda's playing in the SheBelieves Cup

Today on the show we are going across the Tasman to discuss and unpick some of the big sporting issues in Australia.

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh and former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika have reportedly met. This comes as Joe Schmidt announced recently that he will be leaving his role as head coach. 

Could Michael Cheika return as Wallabies coach?

Australian Correspondent Adam Peacock joins the show the discuss the potential, Australia playing England tonight in the Champion's Trophy and the Matilda's playing in the SheBelieves Cup. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks ed B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
As always on a Saturday afternoon, we get you across
the Tasman to discuss and unpick some of the big
sporting issues in Australia. A restraining correspondent Adam Peacock is
with us. How are you today, Adam?

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Busy? Yes, I've got to like you recently had a
child reaching a life milestone. I think yours was Your
daughter was twenty one, not that long ago, minds to
turn eighteen. So I've got two as an adult household,
not acting like it.

Speaker 2 (00:41):
It's taking after her father and not acting her age
at all. Oh well, congratulations and I hope the day
goes well. Before you can get stuck into it, let's
talk about a sport on your side of the Tasman.
Reports this week Adam of a meeting between Rugby Australia
CEO Phil war and former Wallaby's coach Michael Checker. Now
could Michael Checker be being lined up to return as
Wallaby's Coachman Joe Shmut you know, calls it a day

(01:04):
in a few months.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
I reckon, I reckon, Phil wore the CEO is just
casting a line at the moment and seeing what's out there.
I mean, it's obviously something that he didn't want to
be doing in an ideal world. Joe Schmid's the coach
for the next couple of years and Phil All doesn't
need to go on the go on the recruitment drive.
But that's where it is right now. Michael Checker when
he left the Wallabies and I reckon he did damn

(01:29):
well with the talent at his disposal. He got the
absolute most out of that group. Were each a World
Cup final, and you know, going into that World Cup final,
I remember, yeah, you guys are favorites, but we're a
chance on the basis that this team can play some
pretty exciting rugby. It didn't quite work out that the
next World Cup felt like the natural cycle that ended.

(01:50):
And then ever since the Wallabies had just been in
the state of fox, highlighted by that disaster at the
last World Cup. With that he doon't so they want
to get this one right and they've reached out to
Michael Checker again. I think they realized that this group
is building, that the super rugby has got off to
a positive start over here. Obviously the the three main
candidates Aside from that, but the three guys who are
in charge of New South Last, Queensland and the Brumbies.

(02:13):
I think there are romantics over here, probably think Stephen
Markin would be a good fit for the Pumbies coach,
but a lot of the hard knows rugby types of
thinking that LEAs Kiss, who has been around the rugby
environment ever since you retired from rugby league is now
the Queensland coach, might be a better option. But yeah,
there's no there's no down the path scenario at the moment.
I think they're very much still in there. Let's see

(02:35):
what's out there, see who we could possibly recruit, and
then refine it a bit as the year goes on.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
All right, we'll follow that with interest across the year.
Let's go to the Champions Trophy. We're all very excited
about crickets Champions Trophy, Adam, because we had a good
one over Pakistan and a couple of days since India
doing a number on Bangladesh and then last night South
Africa fairly comfortable against Afghanistan. Australia England tonight. We'll always
love competition between these two Nations is the Champions trophy.

(03:01):
Got any cut through though on your side of the.

Speaker 3 (03:03):
Dutch not a lot, not a huge amount. But I
think if say Travis Head goes off, then all of
a sudden becomes headline news. So look, we're without five
or six of our arguably are starting eleven or our
first eleven should say not starting eleven. But it's going
to be really, really difficult because Australia white ball cricket,

(03:26):
aside from Adam Zamper, over the last few years, has
based itself around when we've had success around the big
three Hazelwood Stark comments, who are all not there? So
for us to contend, it's going to be a mighty
task for all of a sudden. Spencer Johnson and Nathan
Allis are the two front line quicks and they've got
spin around that. So yeah, it's going to be tricky
against England because talking to your mate and our mate

(03:49):
Brad Hattan, he believes in England we've got a massive
shout in this in this tournament. He reckons they are
just playing around. They got dusted three nail by India
and a white bull series just before this. He reckons
they were just adjusting to finding finding out little pockets
of information about players in certain positions. He reckons with
their power that they'll probably make the fire. He thinks

(04:10):
that he can go all the way to the final.
So I'll wait and see. You're right. It is a
great contest Australia England and if we beat England, yes,
it will be headline years. Absolutely fair enough.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
I do like the truncated format here. You know, just
two groups of four. You play your guys in your Paul,
then Semis in the finals, All done and dust and
they'll be back home mid March.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
It's the only way they could possibly do an event
like this if you're going to crowd the calendar even
more and have it in between World Cups. You can't
have a six to eight week tournament. It's just not
room now because of all the franchise cricket that's being played,
and you'll end up with a Barthard concept which with
B teams. So yeah, the right way to do it,
and it's good to see it's kind of place in

(04:52):
the calendar.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
And finally today are the Matilda's your Australian women's football team.
There the She Believes Cup at the moment and yesterday
against Japan and their first game there are four nill defeat.
They still don't have a permanent coach, do they to
Somani is doing the job at the moment. What's going
on here?

Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yeah, it's gone on a bit too long, I reckon
unless they've lined up someone who's got a contract that
they're still contracted and they can't get out of that
until like May. This is dragged on. I feel a
bit for Tom Somanne, who's clearly there for a caretaker role.
He's a he's like a friend of the old uncle
to all these players. He's known them for a very

(05:31):
long time. But it's not driving the program forward. And
that yesterday I wasn't really shocked by it. Japan is
just so good on the ball technically, they just ran
rings around us. We just couldn't cope. And that's pretty
much our first eleven. The pas from maybe Sampiero coming
back in Mary Fowler once again. She must be so
frustrated because she is our best player on the ball

(05:54):
in an attacking sense, but they can't get her the ball.
So it's just crazy. I would suggest a positional change.
And Mary Fowl, by the way, is now in terms
of status here in Australia up there with Sam Kirt,
but at the moment where we're making her play with
her like her legs tied together, like it's too hard

(06:15):
at the moment for her to get on the ball
and do what she can do. So it's really frustrating
to watching Matilda's at the moment. And hopefully there's some
clarity in the next couple of months about who is
taking over, because all of a sudden it's less than
twelve months before we host a Nation Cup where we're
going to fill our stadiums and have the vibes of
the World Cup in twenty twenty three again. But if
the team performs nowhere near it, well yeah, it's going

(06:39):
to look like a bit of an embarrassment.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, pretty important coaching change and doesn't get any easier,
does it. The United States are next for the Matilda's
on Monday morning, so we'll keep eyes on that as well.
And I'm always great chatting and enjoy the rest of
your day and taking your daughter to the pub. I
guess for the first time, we'll like catch up again
next week.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, I think in a couple of hours time I
could be standing there staring at the steering at the
wall with a glass of rose o myhand. So the
things you do for your kid.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
Day, mate, I hear you. Oh here, let's chet again
next week. Thanks boy. Good only mate. Adam Peacock, our
regular Australian correspondent to hear him every Saturday afternoon at
about this time on News Talks EDB and Weekend Sport.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
Coming for more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen
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