Cheika locks horns with ARU
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has hit out at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) after lock Kane Douglas was injured shooting an advertisement at a Wallabies logistics camp.
Douglas was one of 49 players that travelled to Sydney for the camp where there was meant to be no rugby played, but rolled his ankle in a game of touch rugby for an advertisement and has been sidelined for two weeks.
Cheika was left perturbed as he had been told that there would not be any physical activity, and explained that the injury has hampered Douglas' pre-season preparations significantly.
He told AAP: "We were assured there would be no rugby content whatsoever and we've had a player injured shooting an advertisement without the correct strapping.
"He's now going to start the season with just two weeks of training – that type of stuff makes it hard to swallow. I understand mistakes can happen sometime but we can minimise them and that shouldn't be happening.
"That makes it very difficult to believe in the process when the details aren't being maintained correctly," added the Waratahs boss.
Cheika also made it clear that he was not happy with the ARU's plans to quarantine Wallaby players three weeks before the start of the British and Irish Lions tour as it will effectively rob him of his best players at a crucial stage of the season.
He said that as there was opposition to the plans from the franchises at a ARU high-performance unit (HPU) meeting late last year, the decision would be far from consultative if enforced.
"If we're taking a consultation approach and the view from all the states at the HPU meeting was this shouldn't happen," Cheika said.
"If we're not being incorporated in the decision, then make the decision and be accountable for it."
