Michael Cheika is coaching Lebanon for a second time at the Rugby League World Cup, and despite the Cedars being eliminated after losses to Papua New Guinea and Tonga, he says Sunday's final group match against France will be treated as a Grand Final.
Lebanon's defeats in their opening two games ended any hope of reaching the knockout stages of the abridged tournament. Cheika, 59, told BBC Sport that the fixture against France on Sunday (06:50 GMT) is effectively a finals fixture for his side, which had only one match between the previous World Cup and this one.
Born to Lebanese migrants who left the country in 1950, Cheika sees the opportunity to represent Lebanon on the world stage as deeply meaningful. He recounted how his father, upon arriving in Australia, connected with the local community through rugby league at Redfern Oval, and how that heritage now allows the current players to fly the flag for their ancestors.
Cheika's coaching career spans both rugby codes. He won the Heineken Cup with Leinster in 2009, guided the Waratahs to a Super Rugby title in 2014, and most recently coached Leicester Tigers in the 2024-25 season before returning to the Waratahs for the next Super Rugby campaign. Fluent in Arabic, French, and Italian, he likens switching between rugby union and league to moving between languages, noting that core values such as courage, aggression, and trust remain the same.
Cheika indicated that he expects to continue crossing between the two codes in the future, describing his recent experience in league as fresh and unreal after 27 years of coaching.
