Michael Cheika orchestrated Argentina's modest run to the World Cup semi-finals. Photo: Getty Images/Adam PrettyMichael Sheika could barely contain himself as Nicolas Sanchez curled under the post to score the decisive score. A giant bear of a man, he looked like he was ready to jump on the table amid the excitement of it all. Few prayed here for their Argentine players, remembering how poorly they had lost against England in this stadium five weeks earlier. But having sneaked in undetected, they came into full bloom at the most important moment, staging a show of courage and defiance that Wales simply could not cope with.
Argentina has made a conscious choice to reduce noise levels. On the opening weekend of the World Cup, they deliberately scheduled their captain's match with France against New Zealand so that few reporters would be present. At 56, Cheika is canny enough to understand that the tone of a campaign is rarely set by the first game. South Africa lost its award four years ago and ended up taking the top prize. It was with this in mind that he advised his team to clear the memory of their 24-point defeat to England as quickly as possible. He predicted that better days would soon await us.
Cheika can say his prophecy has come true, in grand style. Superbly managed by Julián Montoya, Argentina masterfully gained momentum in the second half, first thanks to Emiliano Boffelli's hat-trick in the penalty shoot-out and finally thanks to Sanchez's opportunistic strike, intercepting Sam Costelow's pass and racing towards the line. It's no surprise that Sheika found it difficult to suppress her emotions in the end.
He may have been an impressive polyglot, fluent in Spanish as well as French and Italian, but even he had difficulty fully expressing his thoughts in your last language. The Argentine journalists' responses were peppered with gaffes in heavily Australian-accented English: «The crowd was going crazy, you know what I mean, mate?»
By the time Sanchez's attempt put the result beyond doubt, it truly looked like an Argentine takeover. The singing was non-stop as euphoric supporters shook the building's supports, jumping up and down. The Wales fans marching through the ocean of blue and white hardly knew what had hit them. One minute they dared to believe their team was reaching a second World Cup final in a row, and the next they saw them walking straight into an ambush.
While it might be tempting to call Argentina fluid, given its habit of swinging wildly between mistakes and brilliance, Cheika had none. this. He insisted that turning away from England's 27-3 humiliation and Wales' 27-13 defeat was part of the natural evolution of the World Cup.
“I don’t think it was a turnaround,” he said. “You learn at these tournaments – it’s about how you learn it. I came to this event with different pranks and this time I felt that we had the right preparation. “We learned a lot in that first game because several players were competing in their first World Cup. This is not a linear process. It goes up and down. We just couldn't play well against England. And in general, they scored nine shots, this does not mean that we gave up trying.
Despite the immediate shock of Wales returning home, recent history has shown that Argentina should not be underestimated. In the run-up to the World Cup they beat Australia and New Zealand twice, not to mention England at Twickenham. At their best they can be irresistible, as Warren Gatland discovered on this hot Marseilles evening. Combining great skill and great resilience, they were well positioned to prevail in the madness of the last few minutes.
Cheika's satisfaction was profound. It has been eight years since he achieved such a significant result on the greatest stage, ousting England from their own World Cup. Remember that trick fist he made in front of the Twickenham cameras when Matt Guiteau struck down the right flank as Australia won? He was in the same mood after rejecting Wales. He spoke with weary humility about how everyone had previously pegged the Welsh as favourites, but this time his team were determined to make sure they had the last word.
“We're really pleased we're going to do this. Paris,” Cheika said. «We haven't tasted it yet.» Based on these figures, it was tempting to wonder whether he entertained any thoughts of returning as Australia coach after the Eddie Jones fiasco. Cheika was devastated by the Wallabies' exit to England in 2019 and has not given up on the idea of returning. But it might have an even more exciting story to start with. In Argentina, he creates a team in his indestructible image.
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