Less than 24 hours after presiding over the Wallabies’ worst campaign since 1958, the knives are out for Michael Cheika — and they’re sharper than ever.

Ever since the Wallabies lost the Bledisloe Cup for a 16th straight year, Cheika — the 2015 World Rugby Coach of the Year — has faced mounting pressure to retain his position a year out from the World Cup.

Now, after the Wallabies slumped to a record sixth consecutive loss to England, Cheika’s time is said to be up.

Fairfax is reporting that Cheika will face the Rugby Australia board on December 10.

The Australian’s veteran journalist Wayne Smith has called for former Wallabies coach John Connolly to be hired on an interim basis through until the World Cup, while ESPN’s Greg Growden believes the entire Rugby Australia board, Cheika included, needs to cleaned out entirely.

“The obvious line is that ‘fish rots from the head’,” Growden wrote.

“And that can be directed at Rugby Australia, who misguidedly believe that women’s and sevens rugby — fringe elements of the code which provide little financial return — is the way to success.

“The greater concern is that those in charge at Rugby Australia are performing more like lost tadpoles about to transform into fat, motionless toads.”

Aussies demolished by England 1:46

Despite there being just four Tests (a fifth is currently being arranged) until the World Cup, the Wallabies face the very real possibility of not making the play-offs for the first time.

Wales, the only side ranked above the Wallabies on the World Rugby rankings in their pool, won their first Test over Australia in a decade earlier this month, while Fiji defeated France in Paris on Sunday too.

Australia’s 37-18 loss to England on Sunday (AEDT) was their sixth straight loss since the World Cup against the Old Enemy.

It was their ninth loss from 13 Tests of 2018, capping the worst winning percentage (31 per cent) since 1974 — when the Wallabies failed to win one of three Tests.

But, in reality, it was the worst year since 1958, when the Wallabies won just one of nine Tests.

Sunday’s lost Test against England was Cheika’s 58th match in charge of the Wallabies, where he became the third most experienced Australian coach moving ahead of Eddie Jones who was sacked in 2005 after losing eight of his last nine Tests in charge.

Jones’ winning percentage from 57 Tests was 57.9 per cent.

Cheika’s has slumped to 48.3 per cent with 28 wins, 28 losses and two draws.

The Australian’s Smith, who until now had been reluctant to join the “bandwagon” of rugby experts calling for his head, said “the time for plain speaking had arrived.”

“Michael Cheika must go as Wallabies coach and immediately,” Smith wrote.

“He will depart with Australian rugby’s thanks but he has run his race and to attempt to cobble together a rescue package built around him now would effectively sacrifice next year’s World Cup.

“Australia are returning from the European spring tour with one win and two losses, after yet another hiding from the All Blacks in Yokohama.”

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Of the six most capped Wallabies coaches, Cheika’s is almost 10 lower than Jones and Robbie Deans (58.1 per cent).

Since guiding the Wallabies through to the World Cup final, where they were fortunate to progress past Scotland in the quarter-finals after referee Craig Joubert awarded Australia a controversial late penalty, Cheika’s record drops to 40.5 per cent, having won 17 of 42 Tests.

Against the five nations ranked above the Wallabies, Australia has only won more Tests than they’ve lost against Wales.

Cheika’s Wallabies have won just four of 25 Tests against England (0-6), Ireland (1-4), New Zealand (1-9) and South Africa (2-2-2).

For Smith, the straw that broke the camel’s back was Cheika’s muddled thinking around recalling Kurtley Beale to the Wallabies bench, just days after internally suspending the playmaker from selection, with star back-rower David Pocock in doubt to play England because of injury.

“Had Cheika rediscovered the art of coaching in the interim, the story now might be markedly different,” Smith continued.

“But in fact he has become progressively worse and the events of recent days have laid bare how bankrupt of ideas he and his fellow coaches have become.

“The critical moment was when he told me that he had considered bringing Kurtley Beale into the reserves after David Pocock was ruled out of the Test on Friday morning — this, despite having already suspended him from the Test side after he and Adam Ashley-Cooper had broken team protocols by inviting women back to their hotel room.”

Shoulder charge denies Rodda 1:18

If Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle was to sack Cheika, the big question would be who they hire as Wallabies coach?

As former World Cup-winner and Wallabies captain Michael Lynagh said last week, the difficulty Rugby Australia would have is finding a suitable candidate to take Australia forward through to the World Cup with many of the top coaches locked in contracts through until the tournament.

On top of that, Lynagh said Rugby Australia wouldn’t be in a financial position to pay Cheika out.

For that reason, Lynagh believed Cheika would see his contract out until the end of the World Cup and believed his assistants would instead face the music.

But Smith believes Rugby Australia could indeed pay Cheika out, given the money saved by culling the Western Force in 2017, and proposed former Wallabies coach John Connolly — a recent guest on the Fox Rugby Podcast — as a suitable alternative.

“No doubt questions will be asked whether Connolly, 67, is up to date with the modern game,” Smith wrote.

“For that, I suggest the doubters listen to the Fox Sports podcast Connolly did recently.”

PODCAST! Former Wallabies coach John “Knuckles” Connolly joins us to break down what’s wrong with Australian rugby and where to next for Michael Cheika.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by CLICKING HERE

Michael Cheika waves to the crowd following defeat in the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final against the All Blacks at Twickenham. Source: Getty Images

Growden also continued his calls for Cheika and the entire Rugby Australia board to be swept away.

“As expected, the Wallabies’ final Test appearance in a dreadful season was miserable viewing,” Growden wrote.

“They were completely outclassed, outcoached, outmanoeuvred, out-everything by England and could have lost by more.

“And so the Wallabies completed their worst season since 1958, with only four wins from 13 internationals, under Michael Cheika their sixth straight loss to England, just one win — a substandard Spaghetti Western effort against Italy — in a lamentable four-match northern hemisphere tour, while a head coach’s success rate drops to 48 per cent, and a miserly 40 per cent win-rate since the last World Cup. The Wallabies are now sixth in the world, and sinking fast.”

Not only is Cheika’s winning percentage alarming.

For just the second time since 1984, the Wallabies failed to average more than 20 points per game (19.2).

But on the only other occasion the Wallabies failed to average more than 20 points, Robbie Deans’ side still won nine of 15 Tests in 2012.

Just as shocking, the past three years have ranked in the top five for points conceded on average per game.

In 2017, the Wallabies conceded the most points ever on average (28.3), 2016 was the second most (27.1) and this year they ranked fifth (24.7).

Rugby Australia ceo Raelene Castle will reportedly hold a meeting on December 10 which will likely determine Michael Cheika’s fate. Source: AAP

He continued by questioning the Wallabies’ culture, who took 10 days to tell Cheika about Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper’s break of team protocol.

“The Wallabies antics are glaring indicators of a team management out of control, and a playing group that has lost its way,” Growden continued.

Growden finished by calling for new leadership at the top, but feared that Rugby Australia would find a scapegoat — likely by sacking one of Cheika’s assistants — rather than the head coach.

“Getting out of this mess requires leadership,” Growden wrote.

“Rugby Australia are way out of their depth in this area.

“Raelene Castle is floundering, even contributing to the slump in team standards by allowing the Wallabies’ pin-up boy Folau to this season repeatedly get away with inflammatory social media comments.

“If Folau was in an All Blacks jersey, I simply cannot see their team management allowing him to get away with that…

“The greater concern is that those in charge at Rugby Australia are performing more like lost tadpoles about to transform into fat, motionless toads…But sadly due to RA being in its own words ‘financially challenged’, the real culprits in the Wallabies management who have choreographed the demise of a once magnificent national team will remain.”

Stars axed for rule break 0:37

Lastly, Fairfax’s Georgina Robinson revealed that the Rugby Australia board will meet in less than three weeks on December 10.

It is then that board is likely to set their date for Cheika’s end-of-year review.

By the time they meet, the Wallabies’ first World Cup pool match will be just nine months away.

Robinson wrote that the two most likely options are that either Cheika or his assistants will be thanked for their services.

She added that former Springboks World Cup-winning coach Jake White and Scotland’s Australian Director of Rugby Scott Johnson were seen as candidates for the top job.

WALLABIES COACHES RANKED BY WINNING PERCENTAGE

1: Rod Macqueen (79.1%) — 43 games, 34 wins, 8 losses, 1 draw

2: Alan Jones (68.4%) — 19 games, 13 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw

3: David Brockhoff (66.7%) — 15 games, 10 wins, 5 losses

4: John Connolly (64%) — 25 games, 16 wins, 8 losses, 1 draw

5: Greg Smith (63.2%) — 19 games, 12 wins, 7 losses

6: Bob Dwyer (63%) — 73 games, 46 wins, 25 losses, 2 draws

7: Daryl Haberecht (60%) — 5 games, 3 wins, 2 losses

8: Robbie Deans (58.1%) — 74 games, 43 wins, 29 losses, 2 draws

9: Eddie Jones (57.9%) — 57 games, 33 wins, 23 losses, 1 draw

10: Ewen McKenzie (50%) — 22 games, 11 wins, 10 losses, 1 draw

11: Michael Cheika (48%) — 56 games, 27 wins, 27 losses, 2 draws

12: Alan Roper (47.1%) — 17 games, 8 wins, 9 losses

13: Bob Templeton (34.5%) — 29 games, 10 wins, 17 losses, 2 draws

14: Des Connor (14.3%) — 14 games, 2 wins, 12 losses

15: Bryan Palmer (0%) — 0 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw