Leicester’s director of rugby, Michael Cheika, has expressed his doubts about the suspension imposed on him for allegedly disrespecting an independent match doctor last month. Cheika maintains that he did not commit any significant wrongdoing and questions whether he is genuinely accepted in English club rugby. He has also hinted at potential revisions to the Rugby Football Union’s disciplinary system and refuted claims that Leicester does not prioritize player welfare.
Cheika has completed his ban for persistently challenging the independent doctor’s decisions after two Tigers players were mistakenly allowed to return to the field against Exeter during the Premiership’s opening weekend. Both players should have been permanently removed under current concussion protocols. Leicester has chosen not to appeal, but Cheika remains dissatisfied with the disciplinary panel’s decision to impose a one-match ban with an additional match suspended.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say I was really disappointed,” Cheika said, who spent the weekend in Paris with his wife instead of traveling with the team to Newcastle. “I felt the decision wasn’t right and it hurts my reputation ... I almost felt like they don’t really want me to be in the league here.” He emphasized his honesty and willingness to accept consequences for wrongdoing, but he felt he had done nothing wrong. Initially, he did not want to participate in the judicial process, considering he had three witnesses vouching for his actions.
The judgment revealed errors made by two doctors on duty, leading to Ollie Chessum and Solomone Kata playing on when they should not have. Kata was later sent off, and Chessum had to serve a 12-day stand-down period after being wrongly allowed back on. The independent doctor accused Cheika of being “rude and confrontational” and “overly aggressive in his body language.” However, Cheika insisted he was not the main issue.
“The crucial part of the process is what happened on the field. Two players went back out when they weren’t supposed to, and these are decisions I am not making. There’s been an inference that we didn’t care about Ollie Chessum’s wellbeing. That’s the first thing I care about. [Last month] Tommy Whiteley got a knock at training which we could easily have not reported if we didn’t want to. But we took it really seriously and that’s how we look after our players here.” Cheika also defended the Leicester team doctor on duty, refuting claims that she was inexperienced.
While he avoided commenting on whether the credibility of the game was being undermined by such incidents, Cheika suggested that adjustments to the existing disciplinary process could be beneficial. He mentioned the NRL’s system of accruing points, which assigns fines and bans based on accumulated points and allows for contesting decisions. This system has reportedly reduced controversial incidents in the NRL.
In other news, England has confirmed that Kevin Sinfield will continue as part of the national team’s coaching staff on a reduced part-time basis until 2027. Sinfield, however, will be on a speaking tour in November and will miss England’s games against Australia and Japan. Additionally, the British & Irish Lions have announced a new player agreement for the 2025 tour to Australia, which will see a portion of post-tour profits distributed among squad members.
