Sydney (AFP)
The Australian Michael Cheika, former coach of Australia, denied being in contact with the English team of Gloucester, indicating only to be looking for the "good club" which could be that of Béziers (Pro D2), if the takeover of the club was confirmed.
Gloucester's interest in Cheika had been mentioned in the British media after the resignation last month of his coach Johan Ackermann, who will join the Red Hurricanes in the Japanese championship in July.
"I have nothing to do with them. I only know them as opponents," said on the Federation website the former coach of the Irish province of Leinster, Stade Français and the Australian team of Waratahs Super Rugby.
Cheika dropped the reins of the Wallabies after a five-year lease and a disappointing 2019 World Cup, completed in the quarterfinals against England (40-16), future finalist. The Wallabies are now ranked 7th in the world.
The 53-year-old Australian said he had traveled to Europe to glimpse opportunities, but none had materialized yet. "The important thing for me today is to be convinced that I am working with the right people, in the right club and that this is the right time for me," he said.
According to the bi-weekly Midi Olympique, Cheika could settle down in Béziers if the takeover of the Pro D2 club with eleven titles of champion of France by UAE investors came to fruition.
If discussions are underway, the co-chairs of AS Béziers-Hérault, Cédric Bistué and Pierre-Olivier Valaize, have simply indicated that the club has been working "for more than ten months on the possibility of a resumption or an evolution capitalistic ".
© 2020 AFP