Asked after the Waratahs' 32-18 pummelling at the hands of the Stormers on Saturday night if he felt like the victim of a smear campaign in New Zealand, Cheika said: "Obviously I'm not liked over there or not respected".
"But it won't change my opinion of them.
"I respect them for their football. They've got good football players, good coaches ... and they've got a long list of them.
"That's the way I'll always think. I don't change with the wind."
Despite being accused of knowingly cheating by entering the referee's room mid-game, Cheika said he'd made a conscious effort since being placed on his suspended ban - which expires on August 31 - to behave carefully.
"I've taken particular care since that day back in South Africa and I wasn't careless the other day either," he said.
Being grilled about his personal predicament only added to Cheika's woes after the Waratahs slipped to 10th place on the table in their title defence following their hammering at the hands of the Stormers.
"I'm here to talk about the game. It's not even an issue for me. It's an issue for someone else," he said.
"The last thing I'm thinking about is that. We've just been pumped at home, I'm not that selfish to think like that.
"You need to ask someone else about that stuff because someone else is driving it."
- AAP