TOKYO -- An agitated Michael Cheika has rebuffed suggestions the Wallabies weren't aware of World Rugby's [WR] high-tackle framework, saying his troops are taught to tackle round the "middle" and nowhere else.
Cheika fronted the media to discuss the four backline changes he had made to his starting side to face Wales in Tokyo on Sunday, but took charge of the press conference off the top to address some of the fallout from Reece Hodge's high-tackle hearing, which was the result of his tackle on Fiji's Peceli Yato.
Specifically, that the hearing panel's notes said Hodge had been unaware of World Rugby's framework for ruling on dangerous tackles, a situation the panel had described as generally concerning.
But Cheika and skipper Michael Hooper weren't having any of that, as the coach, in particular, took umbrage with the judiciary panel's report and some of the commentary that had since raised concerns about his side's tackling approach.
"I wanted to say something at the start about some of the chat around that the framework wasn't spoken about to the players; it came out in the judgement, he put it in there, the judge," Cheika began.
"I want to make a couple of points for me: The frameworks for referees not for players, to decide whether there are red and yellow cards in the game and I think they're using that framework very well in matches, myself.
"Secondly, our players are taught to tackle 'middle', we're coached to tackle 'middle'; we don't need the framework to teach our players where to tackle because they're all taught to tackle 'middle'.
"I'm not sure where that chat's coming from or why, but I just want to get it out there that we don't need the framework to tell us where to tackle; we're not teaching anyone to tackle anywhere else except the middle where we can dislodge the ball."
Hodge's full judicial hearing report said: "The Player conceded that he had no effective knowledge of WR's decision making framework for high tackles; had not been trained on it; was not across it because the tackles he makes are predominantly in the waist to knees area."
The report further stated that this was or "general concern" to the panel.
But both Cheika and Hooper threw cold water on that with the skipper revealing he himself had seen it prior to the Super Rugby season and again ahead of the Rugby Championship Test with Argentina in Brisbane in July.
"Brisbane, [WR referees boss] Alain Rolland came out when we were in Brisbane playing Argentina. So I'm really not sure where that came from and why they put it in the judgement there," Cheika added.
The Wallabies coach instead contended that the gravity of the situation, one that has divided opinion across rugby circles even before further instances of similar tackles from Samoa's Rey Lee-Lo and Motu Matu'u and, just last night, England centre Piers Francis had emerged, might have got to Hodge during what was a four-hour long hearing in Tokyo.
"The guy's [Hodge] already nervous enough as it is; there's people starving out there and they've [Rugby Australia] had to fly a QC over," Cheika continued. "He's in that mode, when people are asking you questions and you've done nothing wrong, you're nervous. So you may not have the answers at the tip of your tongue like that either; that's the reality of it anyway.
"So we'd just thought we'd just mention it, make the point; it seems people are making a point about us, we'll make the point back. It's a bit of tennis."
The Wallabies still have until Midday Saturday to appeal Hodge's suspension while World Rugby has set a clear precedent on high tackles, through its citing process anyway, by handing a three-game man to Lee-Lo. Matu'u's judgement is still pending while Francis will front a hearing in the coming days.
The one player to earn a red card on-field, not via the post-game citing process, American John Quill, was due to face a hearing on Friday afternoon in Tokyo. The Eagles back-rower was sent off by Australian referee Nic Berry on Thursday night following a nasty shoulder charge on England's Owen Farrell.
Cheika, meanwhile, had earlier this week taken aim at Fiji's team management for referring Hodge's tackle to the citing commissioner after it had been deemed a legal tackle on-field.