Cheika’s gamble proves perfect

MICHAEL CHEIKA rolled the dice at Croke Park and it paid rich dividends as the coach came up trumps in plotting Munster’s downfall to reach a first Heineken Cup final.

Cheika’s selection of Isa Nacewa at full back was an inspired decision when convention suggested he should choose Mr Reliable, Girvan Dempsey, following the illness that ruled Rob Kearney out.

Nacewa was one of the most influential figures in Leinster’s crucial first-half try, a try that heaped pressure on the defending champions. But Cheika dismissed the suggestion that it was a brave decision to select the Kiwi in an unfamiliar role. “Team selection isn’t a burden: you make a decision to plot the best way forward for your team, sometimes those decisions work, sometimes they don’t work; win or lose today; it would still be a great team to be involved with.”