Pumas head coach Michael Cheika consoles Sam Cane of the All Blacks after The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Argentina Pumas. Photo / Getty Images.
Pumas head coach Michael Cheika consoles Sam Cane of the All Blacks after The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Argentina Pumas. Photo / Getty Images.
As every good student of English literature knows, insinuation can be a powerful tool for authors.
What is implied can often be the better way to make a statement and while he's not likely to be penning any best sellers in the foreseeable future, Pumas coach Michael Cheika demonstrated inthe wake of his side's stunning 25-18 victory in Christchurch that he knows how to use insinuation to guide the audience towards his way of thinking.
The former Wallabies coach, who was always magnanimous and insightful whenever he steered his former side to their few victories against the All Blacks between 2014 and 2019, continues to be compelling theatre now that he is charge of the Pumas and still has a wonderful ability to not only mastermind highly charged and effective performances, but also land a few telling verbal blows.
It was when he was asked about what he felt the victory might mean for Pumas No 8 Pablo Matera, who spent the Super Rugby season playing for the Crusaders, that Cheika took his chance to play to the local audience and in doing so, make clear that he's surprised New Zealand Rugby continue to ignore the merits of promoting Crusaders coach Scott Robertson to the national setup.
Cheika said: "I think that the Crusaders have made a really huge mark, and Scott Robertson has made a really huge mark on Pablo. He came here to learn more about rugby, didn't come here for money or anything like that, and it shows the quality of the franchise and the coaching here, he's come back a heaps better player - mentally and technically.
"I think it would be bittersweet for him [to win], because he's been proud like it's his own city."
Argentina's players celebrate their Rugby Championship test match victory of New Zealand in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo / AP
Cheika also took the opportunity to show that he hasn't lost any of his mastery of more direct speech: that he can still do the unambiguous and leave his audience in no doubt about what he is saying.
That moment came when he was asked to give a response to All Blacks coach Ian Foster's claims that the Pumas had been able to get away with some dubious work at the tackled ball area, where Foster felt Argentina were guilty of holding on to the tackled player and being slow to roll away.
Foster had said: "We were definitely getting frustrated with the role of their tackler and the non-release. But we have just got to look at that and say how can we influence that better?"
"Well, he'd be an expert on it because his team does it all the time," Cheika said about Foster's interpretation about what was supposedly happening at the tackled ball.
"So he should know, so maybe he's right. I don't know."
Argentina's head coach Michael Cheika, left, and New Zealand's head coach Ian Foster shake hands after Argentina won their Rugby Championship test match in Christchurch. Photo / AP
It was classic Cheika – succinct, memorable and possibly a strong enough retort to diffuse the attempts the All Blacks will make this week to put this area of the game on the radar of the match officials taking charge of the test in Hamilton.
He was also clever enough to throw some praise the way of young referee Nika Amashukeli and to World Rugby for the work they have done in generally improving the standard of officiating in the international game.
"I thought he did right the young fella," said Cheika. "It was his first game in this sort of atmosphere, and I thought he handled himself really well.
"I am not sure what they are doing, but I think the officiating has improved immensely over the last few years. Maybe it is the way they are talking to people and players and the engagement they are having with us, explaining to us what they are doing in advance.
"Most things, even if you don't agree with them, if they have explained them to you already, then you are sort of okay with it, because that's the way it is.
"I really do think that the officiating across all the games we have played this year has been a real level above what it is been since I was last in a head coaching role."
