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Cheika takes charge as Cedars step up World Cup preparations
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Lebanon coach Michael Cheika will lead a new board to drive the growth of men’s and women’s rugby league, enhance domestic competitions and step up preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
The Cedars have qualified for the 2026 World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea after making the quarter-finals of RLWC2021 and Cheika will remain as coach, ensuring continuity and strong leadership.
He is currently organising international matches for the Cedars at the end of the season, either in Australia or Europe, as Lebanon hasn’t played since their World Cup quarter-final loss to the Kangaroos at Huddersfield in November 2022.
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El Magical career
In addition, Cheika will head a new six-person board under a groundbreaking and strategic collaboration agreement with the Lebanon Rugby League Federation, which will have one representative on the board.
“We’re extremely excited to formalise the existing bridge between Lebanese rugby league communities in Lebanon and Australia,” LRLF President Mikhael Shammas said.
“This partnership will pave the way for a brighter future for Lebanon Rugby League in general, creating new opportunities for players and strengthening our presence on the international stage.”
There are seven Lebanese players in the NRL this season - Wests Tigers trio Adam Doueihi, Tony Sukkar and Alex Twal, Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses and Jordan Samrani, Canterbury’s Jacob Kiraz and Gold Coast’s Tony Francis.
With others playing in the NSW and Queensland Cup competitions, and a growing number coming through the junior ranks, Cheika said the new structure would make it easier to maintain relationships with players and clubs.
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Moses masterclass
The new board is also committed to helping the women’s team climb up the IRL World Rankings from 27th place and developing the game in Lebanon, where history was recently created with three female match officials officiating a game.
“Hopefully I will be able to get there myself soon to run a clinic, go to some of the games and visit the clubs,” Cheika said.
“That’s my heritage, I love to go there and see my family who are still there, but to also have the opportunity to be involved in some footy would be great.
“We ran a clinic over there before the World Cup in 2022 and we bought five players from Lebanon to the World Cup, which we will be looking to do again in the coming seasons.”
Cheika, who coached Argentina Pumas and the Cedars simultaneously in England in 2022 and achieved success with both teams, is passionate about Lebanese rugby league, despite his background in rugby union.
The former Wallabies coach, who currently has charge of Leicester Tigers in England, said it was important to develop the game in both Lebanon and Australia.
“The Lebanese community doesn’t get to support many of its sporting teams on the world stage and when we were in the World Cup in 2022 so many people in Lebanon contacted me while that was going on, and got involved and got to watch it,” Cheika said.
“It gives them an opportunity to see the national flag up on the world stage, and from an Australian diaspora point of view, there are so many good young kids playing with Lebanese heritage so hopefully we can help bring them through not only to the Test arena but to the NRL arena.
“I just think it is our responsibility, given we are lucky enough to be in these positions, to try to create something that has got longevity, and has got enjoyment, and the ability to perform in the shorter term with the World Cup next year.
“It will help grow the game in Lebanon, and it is about building the competitions that are going on there now.
“Even with everything that has been happening I know the university competition has been played over these past few months, there is a sports festival coming up in Lebanon at the end of April where the Lebanese rugby league team will be represented and there are coaching clinics going on for kids.
“It is pretty amazing how they keep driving things there with very little resources and lots of other stuff going on around them. Lebanon is a place where no matter what the circumstances are they find a way to get things done.”
Doueihi, who played for Lebanon at the 2017 World Cup before making his NRL debut the following season, said the Cedars players remained in regular contact with Cheika and were looking forward to playing under him again.
"Whenever he comes to Sydney, he puts a message in our chat and a lot of the Lebanese boys get around and we catch up when he is in the area, but he is always in touch with us,” Doueihi said.
“He loves coaching us and we love playing under him so hopefully we get another game at the end of the year.
“It is a different feeling to represent your heritage and your country, and we are a really close-knit community. No matter whether we have Ron Massey Cup players or Jersey Flegg players or first graders, our DNA is built on hard work and fighting for everything.
“We have made the quarter-finals at the past two World Cups so we have shown we can mix it with the other nations and hopefully we can get to play some more games.”
