Rugby World Cup: Cheika leaves doubt over his future with Argentina

Michael Cheika cast doubt on his future at the helm of Argentina following his team's defeat against England (26-23) on Friday at the Stade de France in the match for third place in the Cup of the world.

“We will decide now what is best for the Pumas in the future. Will I continue or not? The most important thing is that this team continues to win,” declared the Australian coach at a press conference after the match.

“These players took a piece of my heart with them. We didn't talk about it with them. It's not something that worries me. I know that the decision we make will be the right one,” he added.

Former Wallabies coach, Cheika was called to the Argentina team in March 2022 after the departure of Mario Ledesma.

He suggested that his assistant Felipe Contepomi, a figure in Argentine rugby, could be brought to the forefront: “Contepomi is not far away, he is a very good coach,” he said, “we must perhaps be changed, take one more step with him.”

He also spoke about the defeat against England, third place at stake: “The match could have ended in another way, especially when you see the last 15 minutes, but it ended like this... We did everything we could, we deserved more. But that's what happens when you miss two or three opportunities. We lost by three points. It's not much, but that's how it is. To still be here on October 27 is very positive. For the supporters, for us. What are we missing? Excellence. We need it, but we have the capacity to overcome obstacles. We will come back even stronger. We hope that the Argentinians are proud even if we lost tonight.”