'No sugar hit': Tahs want sustained success from Cheika

From the board down to the players and his assistants, all NSW Waratahs staff have been placed on notice to expect a rude awakening when Michael Cheika returns as coach.

A proven force of nature, "Cyclone Cheika" will officially arrive at Daceyville in November charged with restoring the Waratahs to the glory days after three years without a Super Rugby Pacific finals appearance and a decade of under-achieving since he left the first time.

The firebrand mentor led the Waratahs to their one and only championship in 2014, while his abrasive style has also brought success to almost every team he's coached.

Cheika also coached Leinster to European Cup glory, Argentina to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 2023 and, as an assistant to Trent Robinson, has helped put the Sydney Roosters on track to claiming this year's NRL minor premiership.

"He's a proven winner and (has) a really good track record of success," Waratahs high-performance manager BJ Mather said after unveiling their new coach for 2027, with the option of another season at least.

"I've only met Michael a couple of times. I don't know him really well but if you know him a little bit better, he's not here for a sugar hit.

"He'll want a say in a lot of things and he'll steer in that direction pretty well. He's got some fairly firm beliefs in how the game is played and what success looks like, and that's what we really want from him."

What Cheika is known to want is full control, something he may not necessarily get at the Waratahs, who remain under Rugby Australia's governance.

"But like most things, there's limits to what that full control actually looks like.

"We're working within a structure with RA and Michael knows exactly what he's coming into."

Some of the Waratahs' younger players, though, might not know what they will be walking into until they meet Cheika, possibly for a first time.

"He's very clear on how he wants things done, and it might be a little bit of a wake-up call for some of us in terms of how we do things," Mather said.

While initially only signed for one season with an option of staying on in 2028, the Waratahs have made it clear they hope Cheika sticks around for longer.

"As (chairman) Tony (Crawford) is sick of hearing me say, in the last 25 years the Waratahs have had 12 head coaches," Mather said.