Transforming teams and their fortunes is something Cheika has made a career of.

He oversaw a cultural shift at Leinster, external and transformed New South Wales Waratahs at club level, was anointed World Rugby coach of the year after taking Australia to the 2015 World Cup final, and later took Argentina to within one win of the game's biggest showdown.

His exploits with Los Pumas were all the more remarkable as he job shared during part of his tenure, having taken Lebanon to the rugby league World Cup a year earlier.

His move to Tigers and the English Premiership marks a return to club rugby for the first time in almost a decade.

Ashley-Cooper was at Waratahs when Cheika - after a decade in Europe where he he won the Heineken Cup as Leinster boss before working as director of rugby at Stade Francais - returned to Australia to take the helm of the Sydney-based province.

"He came in for the coaching gig and completely turned the place upside down," said Ashley-Cooper, who is among the presenters of rugby podcast 'Kick Offs and Kick Ons'., external

"He said, 'Look boys, we are going to do things differently - first and foremost we are going to connect with the community, we are going to play for our state.'

"Because the Waratahs were seen as a bit of an outfit made up of a bunch of Paddington, Sydney, boys who kind of competed from season to season but never got any results.

"He installed this belief though genuine hard work and values we all bought into."

Waratahs had finished 11th in the overall standings the season before Cheika's arrival, and within two seasons he had guided them to their first Super Rugby title in 2014.

Ashley-Cooper scored two tries in their gripping 33-32 victory against Crusaders - a final before which Cheika presented each of his players with a personally engraved golf driver as a form of motivation.

"He just wanted us to have a big swing on it," Ashley-Cooper said. "The message was 'boys, have a crack'.

"He was big on imagery, big on mindset and kept the group completely engaged.

"He had this really unique ability to keep everyone engaged, and ability to inspire."

With only a one-year contract at Tigers, there is huge pressure for Cheika to do exactly that.

Not that he is likely to mind.

"That's 'Check'," said Ashley-Cooper. "He loves that pressure.

"He will do everything he can to be successful."