Former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has been appointed as head coach of Lebanon’s rugby league team ahead of next year’s Rugby League World Cup.
Cheika, whose five-year stint as Wallabies coach came to an end after last year’s World Cup, is the son of Lebanese immigrants.
‘It’s an unbelievable opportunity for me to do something that represents the land where my parents came from,’ Cheika told the Daily Telegraph.
‘There is something about being Lebanese, you can never put your finger on it. I was born here in Sydney, but when I went there as an adult the first time we landed in Beirut, I really felt a strong connection to the place.’
Cheika is currently a consultant for Argentina, who claimed their first-ever victory over the All Blacks last weekend and who will front up against Australia on Saturday.
He does, however, has experience as a coach in rugby league, having been a part of the coaching staff at the Sydney Roosters in the NRL previously.
‘I’m still ambitious as a coach because I love it, I can’t help it,’ Cheika explained.
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