Michael Cheika rules out replacing Stuart Lancaster as England coach

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Australia boss Michael Cheika has ruled himself out of the vacant England head coach position.

England failed to progress beyond the group stages of the World Cup on home soil and coach Stuart Lancaster left the post by mutual consent last week.

Cheika led the Wallabies to the World Cup final at Twickenham where they lost 34-17 to New Zealand on 31 October.

“I’m an Australian coaching Australia. It’s the dream. There is nothing that would change my mind,” Cheika said.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, he added: “No-one has contacted me, and they know they can’t contact me because I’m committed to Australia.”

Cheika was only appointed Australia coach in October 2014 and in a year turned a side then in disarray into World Cup finalists.

The 48-year-old coached Leinster to the Heineken Cup title in 2009 and has also been in charge of French club Stade Francais and Australian state side NSW Waratahs.

Despite the Rugby Football Union being linked with approaches for a big-name, foreign Test coach, Cheika believes there is coaching talent in England good enough for the role.

“I just think there are good coaches coaching in the Premiership,” he said.

“Exeter’s Rob Baxter and the guys at Northampton [Jim Mallinder, Dorian West and Alex King], [Newcastle’s] Dean Richards… there are heaps of guys coaching the same England players on a day-to-day basis in the Premiership, who given the right support could do a really good job.

“There are a lot of guys who have good quality here. They just need to be given the chance.”