The united image the Australia squad have presented at the Rugby World Cup is neither a facade nor a public relations exercise, coach Michael Cheika said Wednesday.
Wallaby after Wallaby player has lined up to speak about how the squad atmosphere has been transformed since Cheika replaced Ewen McKenzie last October.
“We like to speak the truth even if it exposes our faults,” Cheika said of his policy of winning the Wallaby way, no matter how blunt.
McKenzie endured a miserable 15-month spell as national handler. It reached a nadir with a scandal last year involving lewd text messages sent by back Kurtley Beale to one of his staff Di Patston.
The scandal spiralled out of control with Wallabies Michael Hooper and Adam Ashley-Cooper supporting Beale while Quade Cooper backed Patston. McKenzie left opening the way for Cheika to assume the post.
Cheika has retained faith in Beale, who was fined for his part in the spat. His attitude of treating players as “adults” – off-field antics are tolerated as long as there is no excess – has been one of the features of his stewardship. With other parts of the Cheika revolution, this has brought markedly better results on the pitch.
“We don’t deal in advertising, that is fake,” he said at the team hotel.
“We cannot present a false image as then it would be pointless for we would be lying to ourselves.
“We have to be our real self. Even if we don’t win all the time at least we will do it our way.
“We always speak the truth, but sometimes in the modern world nobody believes you when you are telling the truth.
“We like to speak the truth even if it exposes our faults.
“Even too if we haven’t played at the level we wanted to it isn’t necessary to change as the most important thing is to remain faithful to our image.”
Cheika, the only coach to have won both the northern and southern hemisphere continental club trophies with Leinster and the New South Wales Waratahs in the European Cup and Super Rugby respectively, says he sat down with the players and talked about how they saw themselves.
“We discussed what each of us thought is really the identity of the team, and what that means every day,” said the 48-year-old, who is the son of Lebanese immingrants who arrived with barely any money in Sydney in the 1950s.
“It is good to put that on the wall and say that is who we are and this is how we are going to live the day, and our actions will make not just Wallaby supporters but all Australians proud of their team.
“Sometimes it is not results that count but the behaviour, character and values of the team which can say more to the people of the country, who are not maybe rugby supporters but watch the World Cup.”
Cheika, whose nomadic travels as a player and coach has seen him become a fluent speaker of English, French, Arabic and Italian, says he and his fellow coaches are trying to implement values he believe have disappeared from rugby.
“Queensland and Brumbie players are rivals during the Super Rugby season and then they arrive with us and we have to mould them into being teammates and transforming all their different characteristics into pluses for us on the pitch,” he said.
“The time when players from different clubs breakfasted together one day and socialised with each other and then the next day went out and tried to kill each other on the pitch before then having a few drinks together afterwards is a side of rugby that has been lost.
“I would like to reinsitute the sense that we can be enemies on the pitch for our clubs but after it we unite together as Wallabies and can be great friends.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5