Different colours, same message: Cheika once again harnessing underdog mentality
Four years after the Wallabies World Cup exit in Japan, former coach Michael Cheika finds himself in a similar position, albeit speaking a different language.
Cheika is looking to guide Argentina to the semi-finals for the third time ever as they prepare to face Wales in Marseille on Sunday (AEST) morning.
He showcased his ever-improving Spanish to a moderate pack of South American journalists whilst finishing his 15-minute media allotment with a couple of questions in his native language.
What was evident despite the language barrier was Cheika deflecting the pressure onto the Welsh.
He used a similar tactic in 2019, saying England 'better go out there and win' their quarter-final match in Japan after the Typhoon gave Eddie Jones' side an extra week of preparation.
Whilst again refusing to specifically label Argentina as ‘underdogs’, leaving that to the media, he made it clear which side will enter as the more favoured opposition
“We know Wales are favourites and that’s pretty clearly obvious, everyone’s made that point to us bar our Argentine supporters,” Cheika said
“We know that we’re going to have to do something different, something special around the game on Saturday so that we can be competitive with them, but I’m a huge believer in the team, in our team. I love the fellas, they’re always together, they’re a very committed team and I know that they’ll really enjoy this occasion.
“They’ve felt a bit of that expectation of trying to make it through and I think they’ll really enjoy Saturday and from the work we’ve done I feel like they’ll feel like they’re ready.”
It caught the attention of counterpart Warren Gatland, who was comfortable with the favourites tag.
“Yeah, absolutely. I don’t know where Michael has got that from, he’s probably trying to take some pressure off himself. If you read too much, there was plenty of speculation and people predicting we wouldn’t even get out of the group. But we embrace that," he retorted.
"We can only control the things we do and we knew what we were doing with the group and if things change, you have to be comfortable with whatever is thrown at you.
"We haven’t spoken about underdogs or favourites’ tags, we are just going through our own processes and working as hard as we can to make sure the preparation is right for Saturday.”
The former Waratahs coach has a history of attracting headlines in World Cup quarter-finals, whether deliberate or accidental.
In 2015, it was a controversial late penalty call by Craig Joubert that saw the Wallabies escape with a 34-34 win at Twickenham.
Four years later, a thumping loss to England was quickly followed by his dismissal as Australian coach.
Cheika will step down as Argentina coach at the end of the tournament regardless of results, confident Sunday’s (local time) match will be a showcase of their growth in his two-year tenure.
“It’s not as much the confidence from what we’re seeing in camp here, it’s about understanding the body of work that’s been going on for a year and a half now, coming on two years since I’ve been with the team,” he explained.
“All those things we’ve been working on in that time that will give us that feeling of being ready for a game.”
Cheika and Los Pumas will have considerable support, with some eagle-eyed fans managing to find where they were training and give them motivations.
Even as you walked into the hotel, there was a trio of Pumas players stopped for a photo.
It provides added motivation for a team looking for consistency after an opening-round defeat to England.
"We need our goal to be clear and it's the same goal for every match: to win it,” Chieka added. “If we're consistent we're on the right road."
