Genia and Simmons impressed by range of Cheika’s skills

Australia duo Will Genia and Rob Simmons have revealed the soft and stern sides of former Leinster coach Michael Cheika.

Since replacing Ewen McKenzie in October, Cheika has spent little time with the squad but Genia believes his mental strength and willingness to get to know the players means the relatively short preparation time before the World Cup will not be a problem.

“He’s very strong in his beliefs on how he wants to do things,” Genia said. “He’s a very honest guy, very genuine in the way he interacts with you. The thing I’ve enjoyed the most about him is he doesn’t just want to get to know you as a player, he wants to get to know you as a person, and that’s a very important thing for a head coach. It’s a quality I really admire.

“He knows very much how he wants to play the game and it’s just all about whether or not everyone wants to buy into it. From the training sessions we’ve had, from the games we’ve had, from the meetings we’ve had, everyone is excited about the way he wants to play the game, everyone’s bought into the way he wants to play.

“We’ve got the players to play that way. It’s about six test matches to the World Cup so that’s enough time as far as games go but also the amount of time the team spends together. It’s more than enough time.”

Simmons echoed Genia’s admiration for the new man.

“He hates losing,” the 25-year-old said. “He’s just riding his own emotions and says what he thinks. Nobody’s happy about losing. He’s the kingpin. He’s the boss. He’s honest and genuine and comes across in that way. He lets everyone know what he is thinking and what he wants.

“It’s not just about getting angry. It seems like he’s angry, he raises his voice. But he also lowers his voice. It’s part of that emotional wave, that he’s trying to get that reaction to be better. He wants everyone to be better and when he’s explaining things, that’s how it comes across. He’s trying to solve the problem.

“He’s made it quite well-known how well he knows some of the Ireland players and what they’ll be looking to do. That will help us prepare.”

The Queensland Reds’ forward also believes Ireland’s maul and lineout are the key areas Australia must target this weekend.

“Guys like Paul O’Connell are crafty enough. It keeps you guessing and makes you a bit uncertain about things but that’s their way of manipulating what they do in attack. We have to be smart and make sure everybody is on the same page. Communication is key within the lineout.

“We’ve seen their maul come on in leaps and bounds. That’s how they score most of their tries and that’s something as a forward pack we’re trying to nullify.”