Michael Cheika Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Michael Cheika, who coached the Wallabies in 68 tests from 2014-19, met Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh at a Sydney restaurant on Tuesday, Australian media has reported.
Rugby Australia (RA) declined to comment on the meeting but Waugh said in a statement that the governing body had made a targeted shortlist and received a high level of interest from "quality candidates around the world".
Schmidt will end his reign as Wallabies coach in October after this year's Rugby Championship, dashing local hopes the highly-regarded New Zealander would stay on until the 2027 World Cup.
Cheika is currently coach of English club Leicester but will leave the club at the end of the season.
The 57-year-old coached Australia to the 2015 World Cup final in England but left the post in acrimony after the Wallabies crashed out of the 2019 quarter-finals in Japan.
Cheika later took over as Argentina head coach and left the role after guiding the Pumas to the 2023 World Cup semi-finals.
RA hopes to confirm Schmidt's successor in coming weeks.
The new Wallabies coach's first job will be preparing the squad for a season-ending northern hemisphere tour starting in Tokyo against Eddie Jones's Japan on October 25.
-Reuters
