Rugby Australia says Cheika to see out contract

@Matt - AFL is more popular in NZ than you might believe but is not mainstream in any way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL_New_Zealand

Yes, hardly anyone plays league or soccer in NZ....

Too many football options in Aus and union has lost its standing. Of the 4 codes, its pretty clear AFL, which NZ doesnt have at all trumps them all by some margin, then league, then union, then soccer. NZ has no AFL and only one major NRL team, the Warriors plus a couple A-League teams. Its a small pond in which the All Blacks draw the absolute best athletic talent NZ has with little opposition

I think the New Zealanders have successfully built up a real culture around their team - they aren’t so much a collection of national reps as they have a sense of identity around what it means to be an “All Black”.

Cheika can’t establish such a culture in the Wallabies overnight - but one does have the impression that the organization in New Zealand is probably the best in the world too, before they players are even on the pitch. I think this is a big part of the success of the All Blacks this century.