Western Force coach knocks back Wallabies role
Western Force coach Michael Foley will not accept an offer to join Michael Cheika when he is appointed Wallabies coach today.
Foley was approached by Cheika about taking on the forwards assistant coach role for the Wallabies' spring tour of the northern hemisphere.
Foley, who was recommended to the Australian Rugby Union board as a replacement for Ewen McKenzie hours after his resignation, had been seen as a favourite to join Cheika's support staff.
Cheika will want his own assistants and Foley, a World Cup winner and former Wallabies assistant, could have replaced set-piece coach Andrew Blades.
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has already turned down a role as backs coach, although he has not ruled out future involvement in the Wallabies program.
Cheika will be announced as coach today after a delay in finalising his contract yesterday. The ARU will also name the Wallabies squad which leaves on Friday for the five-week tour.
Foley, who has one year left on his three-year Force deal, has maintained he would be happy for an extension to his current contract.
He told _The West Australian _earlier this week he was totally committed to the Force.
But he did say: "Anybody who gets asked (by the ARU) would feel compelled to help."
Former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said it was an asset that Cheika did not get distracted by rugby politics but warned that the passionate coach may need to watch his off-field behaviour.
Cheika was given a suspended six-month ban for abusing a cameraman in Durban in March, having a couple of weeks earlier broken a glass door in Canberra, though the Waratahs insisted that incident was an accident.
"He might have to adapt some of his off-field antics," Deans said while promoting his autobiography in his native New Zealand.
"Cheik's very much an ambush merchant. His flame burns hot, so he'll get a lift out of the group, he'll get a response."
Meanwhile, Perth Spirit coaches will finally be able to decide on their team for Saturday's National Rugby Championship semifinal against Melbourne Rising.
The Spirit, looking to reverse the 44-24 loss earlier in the season, were left in limbo by the delay in naming the Wallabies tour squad.
They are bringing in Western Force players to take on the unbeaten Rising but were not told whether players such as centre Kyle Godwin and props Tetera Faulkner and Pek Cowan would be available.
Spirit fly-half Zack Holmes said it was ironic the Spirit had scraped into the finals on bonus points when lack of them caused the Force to narrowly miss out on a maiden Super Rugby finals series this year.
The NRC has been an opportunity for players like Holmes to get more match minutes.
"I spoke to Foles (Foley) after Super Rugby and told him I wanted to play more rugby, so the timing of this competition was good," Holmes said. "I've probably played a bit more than I intended too but that has been good.
"The body has been good and I've been put in various situations with professional guys and the club guys around me that have brought different challenges week-in, week-out.
"As a game controller and decision maker you want to be put in as many different situations as possible to see how you react.
"I've always been one of the younger guys but I've really enjoyed being one of the more senior guys in this competition.
"There were a few things from Super Rugby that I wanted to work on and I've achieved that."
