“Mad not to look at it”: Cheika reveals future ambition as double commitment looms

Lebanon rugby league coach Michael Cheika will first deal with a looming double commitment at the back end of the World Cup before turning his attention to the future, with the admission he would jump at a job in the NRL.

Cheika, who took as Lebanon's coach ahead of the Rugby League World Cup, is also coach of Argentina in rugby union, which is the sport where he has most of his experience.

The former Wallabies coach will deal with a potential double commitment if Lebanon make it beyond the group stage of the Rugby League World Cup, with Argentina scheduled to play England at Twickenham on the same weekend as the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Cheika has previously stated he would handle both games if the Cedars advance, but said at the World Cup launch in Manchester that it would be prioritised by which game occurs first.

“At this stage, all those things are prioritised by games, so whichever game is first goes first,” he said.

“One thing I've learned about World Cups is that, if you start thinking about what's down the road, you'll get caught out.”

Cheika's Cedars side will take on New Zealand, Jamaica and Ireland in the group stage, with the game against Ireland likely to be the deciding factor in whether they will advance to the final eight as they did in 2017.

Cheika's first game in charge of the Cedars was watched from the other side of the planet, with flight issues meaning he was in Argentina when Lebanon battled Malta in Sydney during the NRL's representative round earlier this year.

On that occasion, no NRL players were present for Lebanon, however, this time they will be able to call on the likes of Mitchell Moses, Adam Doueihi and Jacob Kiraz among others.

Cheika, who is an experienced union coach, said he "grew up as a league fella" and would jump at the chance to coach in the NRL.

“If the opportunity came up, you'd be mad not to look at it because it's a great game and in Australia it's huge," he said.

“It's a staple part of our diets – all the rugby boys know about league, growing up with it, and I obviously grew up as a league fella.

“But I've never been a huge planner as far as all that type of stuff is concerned. I think if you do the right thing, you do the best you can and show what you've got on a day-to-day basis, then all good things come your way.”