Cheika named new Australian rugby union team coach

Michael Cheika was Wednesday named the new coach of Qantas Wallabies, the Australian rugby union team which will leave Friday for a tour of Europe.

Australian Rugby Union chief executive Bill Pulver announced that Cheika would take over from Ewen McKenzie, who resigned following the team's 28-29 loss to New Zealand Saturday, on a three-year deal and will fly out with the team on the spring tour of Europe, reports Xinhua.

"Central to our decision was selecting a world-class coach who can lead us to victory in next year's Rugby World Cup and a person who represents rugby's core values," Pulver said.

"Michael fulfills these requirements. He is also extremely passionate and has a strong track record of motivating teams to win through plenty of hard work. I'm confident he will embrace this new challenge and on behalf of the Australian rugby community, I would like to congratulate him on his appointment."

Cheika said he would strive to unite the national team as they were about to launch themselves on the world stage.

"I never imagined I would be in the position of coaching our national team and feel extremely honoured to have this opportunity. My mission will be to do the best possible job I can and to motivate the people around me to ensure they are able to represent Australia to the best of their ability," the New South Wales Waratahs coach said.

"I feel the key to any future success will be to ensure we have a strong identity and not letting anything get in the way of our preparation to succeed on the world stage."