- Cheika’s reign at Leicester Tigers got off to a winning start in the Premiership
- Leicester beat Exeter 17-14 thanks to a last-minute try from Tommy Reffell
- The Tigers were down to 14 men with just under ten minutes remaining.
Eight years ago, Michael Cheika and Ange Postecoglou were sitting on a sofa in a broadcast studio in Sydney discussing their ambitions to coach in England.
They had a lot in common, not least because they both coached Australia’s national rugby and soccer teams. Of mixed heritage, they were outspoken and had a tendency to charge headlong into trouble.
Postecoglou burst onto the scene at Tottenham last year, taking 26 of 30 points from his first 10 Premier League games. Cheika arrived 12 months later and his first day in charge was, unsurprisingly, dramatic.
There was a red card, a couple of expletives from the coaching box and a last-minute turnaround. Exeter dominated almost every attacking statistic: metres gained, carries, clean counter-attacks, defences broken, passes, passes. Yet there is no metric for the self-belief that underlined Leicester’s surge of power in the 83rd minute to snatch victory in the final play.
“We had some unfortunate penalties, but we didn’t panic, not even me!” said Cheika, a notorious critic of refereeing decisions. “I didn’t say too much. I stood up once, thought about trying and then sat back down. I thought: ‘OK, we got a bad decision, we’ll get over it.'”
Michael Cheika made his ambitions of coaching in England a reality by taking charge of Leicester Tigers
Cheika and Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou harboured similar aspirations of working abroad.
Leicester beat Exeter in a dramatic start to the Premiership season at Sandy Park
Cheika is a rugby globetrotter. Yet here he was, in globetrotter country, facing an opposing coach who lives on the family farm. Captain Ollie Chessum said he had brought an “aura” to training, giving the players a sense of calm. Chants of “Play on!” rang out from the coaching box when Solomone Kata ran over Ethan Roots.
New signing Izaia Perese was at the centre of the action. The Wallaby was like a stick of dynamite in midfield, causing collateral damage to both his own team and the opposition. Without Jasper Wiese’s powerful ball-carrying ability, Perese was the team’s main attacker. Their master of chaos, with the full range of jackals and kicks at full blast.
He picked up the loose ball as Hodge’s penalty bounced off the post but lost possession to a mishandled pass as he left his area. “Fucking run!” Cheika shouted in frustration. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso surged forward but winger Ross Vintcent made the most incisive play of the first half, racing straight to get deep into Tigers territory. Perese was penalised for stopping a quick pass and the visitors scrambled desperately to stop Scott Sio off his line.
Cheika backed flanker Olly Cracknell, who was the centre of the defensive force that kept the likes of Josh Hodge and Feyi-Waboso at bay. “Olly Crackell’s effort – I don’t know if anyone knows about it, his father passed away during the week,” Cheika said.
“We’re very sorry. I left him alone all week and he called me to say that his family wanted him to play, that that was what his father would have wanted. That kind of performance, under that pressure, is fantastic.”
The Chiefs were dangerous but Jamie Shillcock kicked a drop-goal on the stroke of half-time to give Leicester an unexpected 3-0 lead. Exeter fought back with tries from Greg Fisilau and Tom Cairns.
Leicester’s confidence was evident in the final quarter. “We looked very inexperienced and unprepared in the last 20 minutes,” said Baxter. “It felt like we were inviting Leicester back into the game.”
Leicester manager Cheika celebrates with Harry Wells after their win over Exeter
Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet evades a tackle against Exeter
Hanro Liebenberg scored Leicester’s first try of the Premiership season against Exeter
Hanro Liebenberg scored from a throw-in and Leicester recovered after Kata was sent off for a head-butt clash with Jack Yeandle. Cheika shook his head.
Freddie Steward suffered a high challenge and Cheika took his microphone to make sure the referee knew. A penalty and a yellow card were then awarded, with Ben Volavola kicking into the corner for the final move.
Leicester took control of the lineout, advancing inch by inch, and Tommy Reffell emerged from the bottom of a pile of bodies with a try to secure the first win of the Cheika era.