Rugby World Cup: Chieka steps down as Australia coach after exit

Australian rugby coach, Michael Cheika, has quit as the team's coach after they witnessed a humiliating 40-16 defeat to England in the World Cup quarterfinals. Michael's contract was up at the end of 2019 and he has taken the decision of not renewing his contract after failing to take his team to the semifinals.

Chieka's post-match interview

As the Australian rugby team failed to make it to the semifinals for the third time since 2007, Cheika was bombarded with questions about his future in a post-match interview. He said that it was really early to talk about what the future had planned for him. 

Michael said that it was a really bad thing to ask someone just after someone's world cup dreams were over. He also said that if anyone really cared for someone who was still feeling bad about such a loss then they should ask questions that actually matter. Cheika stated that he very well new about what the media outlets actually wanted but said that they should also think about other people's feelings as well.

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Cheika's promise

Cheika had previously promised that he would quit if his team failed to lift the World Cup trophy. He mentioned in this interview that he wanted some time to take a decision after talking to his wife. 

He also said that he did not regret his decision at all and added that he still felt an attachment towards the team as not a lot of people are given this chance and it was an honor to coach this team.

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A humiliating 40-16 loss

In the events that preceded this, the English team earned a place in the Rugby World Cup semifinals for the first time in 12 years as they beat Australia 40-16 on October 19. England outscored the Australian team by 4 tries to one in order to match up to their win against the same team in 2017. They have now beaten Australia a total of 7 times while being managed by Eddie Jones.

Australia has failed to reach the Rugby World Cup semifinals for the third time in 9 World Cups they have been a part of. All three of their ousters from the tournament have come at the hands of England.

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(With inputs from agencies)