Michael Cheika’s conduct during Australia’s 30-6 defeat by England at Twickenham has been referred for investigation by World Rugby.
The Wallabies head coach was infuriated by a number of refereeing decisions and when a Michael Hooper try was disallowed in the first half, he appeared to mouth "f***ing genius" in reference to the decision made by referee Ben O'Keeffe.
When asked during a broadcast interview if he had actually called O’Keeffe a “f***ing cheat”, Cheika ended the interview.
On two occasions he walked down the steps from the coaches’ box to the touchline to remonstrate with officials and received abuse from supporters that he described as a “gobful” that was “not pleasant”, at one point resulting in a verbal exchange with a fan.
Jon Davis, the disciplinary officer for the autumn internationals, is looking into his behaviour on Saturday afternoon.
"Following various media reports and a referral from World Rugby, the comments and conduct attributed to Michael Cheika are being investigated. An update will be issued tomorrow (Tuesday)," read a statement issued by the body that oversees disciplinary matters for the November Tests.
