Michael Cheika has insisted he had no choice but to resign after Australia were dumped out of the Rugby World Cup by England.
The former Leinster and Stade Francais boss has stepped down as Wallabies head coach in the wake of Saturdayās 40-16 thumping in the quarter-finals.
The 52-year-old admitted he had to resign after pledging to the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) that he would quit if the Wallabies fell short of their World Cup potential.
Cheika angrily refused to answer questions about his future in the immediate aftermath of Australiaās hefty loss to England, but only a day later he has confirmed his tenure is at an end.
āAt the time I wasnāt keen to answer but I always knew the answer in my head,ā said Cheika. āI wanted to speak to my wife and tell a few people I care about.
āI put my chips in earlier in the year, I said āno win, no playā, so Iām the type of person who will always back what he says.
āI knew from the final whistle, but I just wanted to give it some time to settle down. I have no regrets about making the call, but yes, I would love to stay on.
āWe have a lot of pride and a lot of honour, but I made my call.
āI wanted to show I was prepared to put myself on the line to achieve what I believed the team could and we didnāt do that, so Iāve got to stand by what I said.ā
Sydney-born but of Lebanese descent, Cheika made his name as an uncompromising back-rower at Randwick, where he forged a close bond with current England boss Eddie Jones.
Cheika made his fortune away from the game in a clothing business specialising in jeans, and he has now admitted he has no need to remain in rugby.
Asked whether he will seek a return to top-level coaching, Cheika said: āI donāt know, I havenāt thought about it to be honest.
āIt will be very hard to replicate the thrill and excitement of coaching at international level to be honest.
āIāve never coached as a job, only for the pleasure. I havenāt really thought about it, so Iāll see what happens next.
āIām not swayed by many things, as long as I know Iām doing my absolute best, leaving no stone unturned to prepare the team but also representing the game for the whole country.
āI tried my absolute best to do that. Iāve loved every minute of it so thereās no emotional toll.
āIām no drama queen. I love the ups and downs, and thatās the way it rolls. Iām no finger-pointer. I think Iām half-and-half for wins which isnāt too dissimilar across the board.
āIām not looking for an excuse there or an excuse here. Iāve tried to make the best of every opportunity Iāve been given. We werenāt able to deliver consistency over the whole time.
āWe had some great moments, that comes with part of the challenges weāve got around losing players overseas, young players coming through.
āBut at the end of the day thatās pretty irrelevant, itās all about trying to do the best you can in any given situation. Our best wasnāt good enough in this tournament.ā
Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle said in a statement: āOn behalf of Rugby Australia, I want to thank Michael for his dedication and service to the role of Wallabies head coach since taking up the position in 2014.
āMichael is a passionate and experienced coach who worked tirelessly to get the best out his players. He cares deeply about the Wallabies and the game of rugby, and always set out with the aim of making Wallabies fans proud of the teamās performances.ā