Two limp shellackings in which it is clear the side is confused or unhappy? That might be different. And how good it would feel, those hours after his dismissal. Everyone loves the sugar hit of a sacking. Suddenly anything is possible. But let's be careful here. This is not a change of socks. If Cheika goes Rugby Australia will have re-created the chaotic conditions that accompanied his appointment in the first place. When Ewen McKenzie left the Wallabies in 2014 it left the governing body with a profoundly weak hand.

It was shambolic. Cheika had to scramble for people to help him on the end-of-season tour. Loading Support team? That was whoever was willing to pick up the phone. The Wallabies lost three out of four Tests on that tour. The new coach was rushed in as part of a disorderly transition. Here was not an appointment borne out of a rigorous process, here was a house that was built on hastily poured foundations that were still wet. The mess worked for a while. Improbably, the Wallabies made it to the World Cup final in 2015.

That should not be taken away from them. There was a lot of quality and heart in that campaign, as well as the occasional kind bounce of the ball. But what has ensued since has been what you'd expect to happen with such a rushed process. A short-term bounce followed by inconsistency of performance and question marks about the work of the support crew around Cheika. ​Do not underestimate by any means Rugby Australia's determination not to repeat those errors. When Cheika goes, they want the recruitment process to be well thought out, something that Australian rugby has been desperately poor at it recent years at Super Rugby level, with terrible consequences. Of course, it would be far better if Cheika's survival was determined by the man himself and the performances of the Wallabies.

That's still possible. We may have seen rock bottom on Gold Coast last weekend. Loading However, even if there are continued doubts about Cheika this year they are going to have to significant before that translates into Rugby Australia taking action against him. Of the past three World Cup-winning coaches, Jake White, Graham Henry and Steve Hansen, none had been in the job for less than four years. That does not mean that the Wallabies are going to win the World Cup, but it does show that longevity does play a role.

Even look at England today. Eddie Jones has lost the media up there. The knives are out and they will be sharpened even more after he omitted Danny Cipriani from his latest training squad. Would they have been better sticking with Stuart Lancaster, who has been reborn at Leinster? It's quite possible, for all of Lancaster's mistake in leadup to 2015. Cheika is the under the pump. It's right that he is facing a high level of scrutiny. But the end of a tenure before its time is rarely a clean business and we cannot pretend it to be so.

Sacking him would create a whole other set of problems; they might not be evident the day after, or even six months after, but they will be there. That is particularly true in the year before a World Cup when the market for coaches is so limited. Previously, my preference was for Stephen Larkham to replace Cheika, given that would have signalled a triumph for stability and continuity. However, we cannot pretend that Larkham has not also been damaged by the Wallabies' struggles. Instead, Dave Rennie is the man the Wallabies should talk to. But not now, not under these conditions.