Cheika to return as Waratahs coach for 2027 Super Rugby season

Michael Cheika will return to rugby union as head coach of the NSW Waratahs for the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season, ending his spell in rugby league with the Sydney Roosters. The 59-year-old has agreed to a contract for 2027 with an option to remain in the role for 2028.

Cheika previously led the Waratahs to their first Super Rugby title in 2014. He left the club later that year to become Australia head coach, a position he held until 2019. His coaching career has since included roles with Argentina and Leicester Tigers.

He will succeed Dan McKellar, who left the Waratahs position in June. The appointment comes after a difficult 2026 campaign for the Sydney club, which finished eighth and failed to reach the playoffs.

Cheika’s return brings back the coach who delivered the strongest result in the Waratahs’ history. He has described the club as particularly important to him because it represents his home state, while also identifying the next season as significant for both the team and Australian rugby before the home World Cup.

The former Australia coach has also pointed to the 2014 title as a defining memory, with the relationship between the squad and Waratahs supporters remaining central to how he views that achievement. He now wants to rebuild that connection in a different period for the club, involving the players, their families and the wider fan base.

Cheika’s immediate objective is to establish the Waratahs as an attractive environment for players. His return gives the club a coach familiar with its previous success as it seeks to improve on eighth place and return to the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs in 2027.