Cheika: Bringing in marquee player like O’Driscoll could work

Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has admitted he sees the value of bringing a marquee name like Brian O’Driscoll into the Australian club.

The Irish centre recently declared he would consider playing under his former coach in Australia for a year having often dreamed of playing Super Rugby.

“Cheiks has my number, so if he wants to give me a call, he knows how to get me,” he said.

Cheika had downplayed the issue at first and when asked yesterday he quipped at first: “I rang him straight up and told him to stop marketing himself.”

But then he admitted that while his first priority would be on developing local talent, he also noted that the pulling power of a big foreign name was worth exploring as the Waratahs do not possess a marquee player at present.

“It’s probably a good idea. I think there is some value, in the true concept of a marquee player,” he said.

“Not as part of the development programme. You certainly don’t want to be getting him to fill holes. You should be making sure every hole is filled. What we are looking at any [marquee] player would be to add value,” Cheika said.

“I can see where the value is, for the game overall, if a player wants to come for a season and see how they do in Super Rugby.

“If we are ever going to use the marquee player idea, we could get some parameters around it. That player is going to bring something different to us. On the field and off the field.

“We would never look at bringing anyone for more than a year. Come and do a job. It could work, along those lines. It is good for the players to play with other guys. I have seen in other countries what foreign players can add, as far as culture and ideas. If approached the right way, it could be a good idea.”