Cheika favourite to take over Aussie hot seat

Former Leinster coach Michael Cheika is hot favourite to take over as Wallabies coach following Ewen McKenzie’s shock resignation.

McKenzie quit following the dramatic 29-28 defeat against world champions New Zealand in Brisbane on Saturday. McKenzie’s post-Bledisloe bombshell has rocked Australian rugby to its core, with a five-man ARU Rugby Committee now in a desperate four-day scramble to secure a replacement before the Wallabies leave for their five-week tour to Europe.

“At this point, I don’t even know who can get on a plane on Friday,” ARU chief executive Bill Pulver admitted in Brisbane. NSW Waratahs coach Cheika is understood to be the chief target, but Pulver is sweating on him breaking out of the final year of his contract with the SuperRugby champions in order to answer the Wallabies’SOS.