How Michael Cheika’s equipment trick helped get the Leicester Tigers roaring – and why the Premiership membership will do something to maintain their inspirational coach, writes CHRIS FOY

Michael Cheika is thousands of miles away from his family at the moment, so he intends to spend Christmas Day helping out in a Leicester soup kitchen, before resolving a dilemma about his future.

The Australian has transformed the Tigers, having been hired in a hurry after the East Midlands club dispensed with the services of his compatriot, Dan McKellar, at the end of last season.

Leicester had finished eighth in the Premiership and a quality squad was underachieving, but Cheika’s galvanising impact has seen them win five of their first seven games in this league campaign, to sit third in the table going into Saturday’s home showdown with second-placed Bristol.

As it stands, the former Australia and Argentina head coach is due to depart at the end of this season, but that situation may be revised. With his wife and four children back at home in Sydney, Cheika has personal factors to weigh up in a hurry, before his club’s New Year deadline to declare a verdict.

Decision day is looming, but first there is Christmas Day and a change of scene. ‘This year, I’ll be by myself because my family’s not here, so I figured it would be nice to volunteer somewhere,’ said Cheika, when asked about his plans. ‘That’s an opportunity I’ve got because I’m here by myself and I think it’s a good way to spend my energy; maybe serving lunch or dinner to homeless people, or people who need it.’

Once he has done his festive good deeds, further enhancing his sky-high reputation in Leicester and the surrounding rugby heartlands, Cheika will come to a verdict about his plans. The club want him to stay, the players want him to stay, the fans want him to stay — and perhaps he too wants to stay, but there are important family considerations. The distance is difficult.

Having only initially signed up for a year, he said: ‘The deal was done that way for certain reasons. So, what I’ve got to do in order to change that is find a work-around, so those reasons don’t become a block or a hindrance to doing it.

‘I’m still where I was at in terms of a one-year deal, but I’ve been speaking to the club regularly and asking them when they need to know from me definitively. I imagine it’s going to be soon. I’m going to have to give them a decision, so I’ll try to look for a few work-arounds that could help me have the opportunity to stay.’

With that deadline looming, the short-term outlook for the biggest club in English rugby is on a knife-edge over Christmas.

Sources have indicated that discussions are underway with potential candidates to take over in the event of Cheika opting to leave. Former Tigers front-row stalwart Graham Rowntree is one obvious contender, with his knowledge of the club and his title-winning pedigree from a productive stint at Munster.

England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth is another possible target, having previously acted as interim head coach.

Leicester chief executive Andrea Pinchen has lauded Cheika’s impact, telling Mail Sport: ‘It’s no surprise he has done so well. We knew we were getting a top-quality coach, leader and person. He has absolutely met what were high expectations.’

News of Cheika’s signing was quickly acclaimed as a coup for Leicester and good news for the profile of the Premiership. ‘You could see the impact within days of our announcement that he was joining,’ added Pinchen. ‘He became the face of the league. It has been said to me many times since the summer that it was the biggest signing the league has seen for a long time. And the connection we’ve seen between fans and Michael is something special. They have taken to him.’

It is no surprise that while the club are engaging in contingency planning — with Cheika fully aware of that process — they are desperate to retain his services.

‘We want Michael to stay,’ said Pinchen. ‘Given the first half of this season, what we have seen from Michael and the improvement, then we would like him to stay. It’s the sentiment across the club. But we know that it’s a decision he has to make with his family in mind and we are in early discussions with him about it.’

Under McKellar, Leicester lacked tactical clarity, as well as their trademark spirit and ferocity. Under Cheika, they have regained a sense of direction and purpose, unity and passion.

So, how has Cheika already made such a difference? Leicester’s veteran scrum-half, Ben Youngs, offered a fascinating insight. Firstly, he explained that the new boss brought a healthy dose of humility to go with his towering reputation.

‘From the moment he walked in, he’s had a huge presence,’ he told Mail Sport. ‘The first time he walked in, he said, “Boys, I’m not going to put on the kit yet. I won’t put it on until I feel like I’m ready, I’m part of the team and I deserve to wear your strip. I want to understand Leicester; the culture of the club, the city, the surrounding villages and the county. And I want to know you boys. Then, when I’ve earned the right, I’ll wear the shirt”.

‘Cheik’s got huge pedigree. He’s been there and done it, and you hang on his every word. I’ve had coaches before who aren’t even convinced themselves by what they are saying, so they aren’t going to convince 40 blokes who are sat there trying to buy into it.’

In terms of significant changes which have had a positive effect, one has been an overhaul of the training schedule. Crucially, Cheika has had the nous to understand that less can be more, by giving his squad Sundays and Mondays off after Saturday games. Then there’s his proactive rather than reactive attitude.

‘I love his mindset that we should focus on what we can do, rather than other coaches who are obsessed by stopping the opposition,’ said Youngs. ‘Give me Cheika’s mentality any day. He sees it as, “This is what we’re going to do and they have to stop us”.’

All the years of pursuing a globetrotting, multilingual, cross-code career in coaching have given Cheika a rare insight into what makes players tick.

He worked in Australia, France, Ireland, Japan, Argentina and Lebanon before England.

He has learned so much about how to interact, how to lead and how to inspire the men who will figuratively run through brick walls for him.

‘A big factor is his people skills,’ said Youngs. ‘He understands that human aspect. His meetings are good. He brought in a huge amount of birthday cake the other week and said that if someone has a kid, he’ll bring in champagne and everyone’s got to have a glass before we go out and train. He’s huge on the fact that we’ve got to enjoy it as well.’

Youngs spoke for the whole Leicester squad in expressing his wish for Cheika to extend his stay. Some players are waiting to find out what he will do, as it will guide their own plans. But even if he does leave, perhaps there might be a compromised, consultancy arrangement.

‘At Leicester, once you are part of the environment and the match-day experience, it becomes difficult to leave,’ said Youngs. ‘But his situation is unique. His family are back in Oz, so I don’t know. As players, we all have our fingers and toes crossed, hoping he doesn’t walk away.

‘If he does, we all respect what he has already built. Maybe he will go but do a Chris Boyd (former Northampton director of rugby) and have a consultancy role. I think he would probably try to stay involved in some way.’

A consultancy deal would be a consolation for the Tigers, their board, their reinvigorated squad and their huge fanbase who are harbouring title ambitions again. But what they really want — after years of upheaval — is for Cheika to find those ‘work-around’ solutions to stay on as head coach.