Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has extended his contract to include the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan but says he’s planning for well beyond that.



Having guided the Wallabies to the 2015 World Cup final and a maiden Rugby Championship title in his first year at the helm, Cheika has now added a further two years to his deal.



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The reigning World Rugby coach of the year, Cheika promised he’ll do his best to ensure the Wallabies play in a way Australians want them to as he sets his sights on ending the country’s 20-year World Cup title drought in Japan.



“I’m very happy,” Cheika said after Thursday’s announcement in Sydney. “It’s nice to know that we’re going to have another chance to work together towards the World Cup and also put some foundations in place that are going to last well beyond this tenure till 2019 for the next coach and the coach after that, so we can start growing things properly.

“[We want] to lay the foundations nationally and across state teams so that we can be a successful as possible.”



ARU chief Bill Pulver said Cheika had put rugby back on the map in Australia in a big way with his efforts last year. Cheika is the only coach to have won the major club competition in each hemisphere, winning a Super Rugby championship with the NSW Waratahs in 2014 and the Heineken Cup with Irish club Leinster in 2009.

“Michael’s appointment goes obviously a long way towards reinforcing the pride that we have in the Wallaby jersey and the terrific year that he gave us with the team in 2015,” Pulver said.



“He really restored the pride that we have in our national team and Michael’s unique contribution to that was reflected with World Rugby announcing him as their international coach of the year as he took the Wallabies from No6 in the world to No2 in the world.”