Foley backs Cheika's NRL coaching ambitions despite code switch

Whilst Michael Chieka is back in the Rugby Union space, Bernard Foley has backed his new Waratahs coach for a potential play at becoming an NRL coach.

After seven years with the Kubota Spears in Japan, the 37-year-old is set to return to Australian shores having signed a one-year deal with the NSW club.

The move also reunites Foley with his former Waratahs and Wallabies coach, Chieka, who will coach the Super Rugby club for the first time in 12 years.

Since leaving as Wallabies coach in 2019, Chieka had worked in a myriad of jobs throughout the international and club game in Rugby Union. But he has also dabbled in the Rugby League space.

In 2020, he was named as Lebanon’s head coach ahead of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, seeing them progress to the quarter-finals in their best-ever finish at the tournament, whilst coaching Argentina in Union.

And during the 2026 NRL season, Cheika took up a role in Trent Robinson’s coaching staff at the Sydney Roosters, which bore premiership success.

But whilst the 59-year-old is switching codes again, the 76-time representative for Australia believes that Cheika could come back to Rugby League and lead an NRL side should an opportunity arise.

“Cheiks likes to do the unheard of or think out of the box,” Foley told SEN’s The Run Home with Joel and Fletch.

“I think he would love the opportunity to run an NRL club and to design a programme.

“One thing is, he's extremely passionate. He's a genuine winner, and he'll do anything he can for the team to be successful. I think you've seen a lot of his fingerprints were on that Roosters season this year.

“I think the way he was able to get the forwards to play tough, to play hard, especially when it counted in that back end of the season, that speaks a lot about how Cheika likes his players and how he connects with them.

“He's probably been outspoken in saying he'd love that NRL job.

“Doing a year as an assistant under Trent Robinson (and) having success, he's probably learnt now what is requires to run a programme from the start, how to run a pre-season, how do you design your players, how do you manage your players through a long NRL season that rugby's not that long or it doesn't have those demands.

“I think he'd be itching at the bit to get that.”

Cheika will coach Lebanon for the Rugby League World Cup before he joins the Waratahs ahead of next year’s Super Rugby season beginning February 12.

The Cedars begin their tournament in Port Moresby as they face PNG at Santos National Football Stadium on Saturday.