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International

'I know how': Jake White eyes Test return and plots Springboks' downfall

Neil Fissler

45 days ago

Then Bulls director of rugby Jake White before the United Rugby Championship Grand Final match between Leinster and Vodacom Bulls at Croke Park in Dublin. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Springbok World Cup-winning coach Jake White admits that he is ready to return to coaching and has unfinished business on the international stage as he looks for his next job.

White, who led the Springboks to success in the 2004 Tri-Nations and then the 2007 World Cup, is a free agent after leaving the Bulls last July and says that he is missing coaching.

He had a stint as a technical advisor to Tonga in 2014 and would love to mark the 20th anniversary of winning the Webb Ellis Cup with another crack at success.

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“I was 40 when I coached South Africa, and before I turned 44, I won the World Cup and had finished coaching them. I haven’t been involved in coaching Test rugby since that time.

“And so, when you say, do I want to get back? I still think I have unfinished business at the Test level. It’s like taking Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu out of Test rugby now.

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“Telling him he will never play again when he’s first shown you that he can compete at that level. I coached South Africa, I know how South Africa operate, I know South Africa are the benchmark.

“I know South Africa is probably going to have to get beaten for someone to win the World Cup. You would think that would be a sort of commodity in coaching,” he said.

White, who will be 63 in December, is keen to give someone the benefit of the experience that he has accumulated at the very top level of the game over three decades and doesn’t believe coaching should be a young man’s game.

“Why is it that younger coaches are in front in the queue to older coaches?

“In my time, serving your time and being around and getting all the knowledge you can was a bonus.

“Whereas now, if you look around, a lot of coaches come in when they’re in their 30s or mid 40s, and they jump the queue ahead of coaches who’ve gone and served their time.

“There’s a reason why a coach gets better as he gets older. It’s because the experiences and the knowledge he picks up, again, Eddie Jones had something this week, which is right.

“You only learn in front of 80,000 people when you’re playing and you make those mistakes. You cannot simulate that in training. Do they go from that experience into becoming a better player?

“I brought Eddie Jones in because I realised that you know needed that experience, and he was the guy who had lost the World Cup final.

“Other than Clive (Woodward), who won the World Cup, he was the next guy, and I was so lucky and so, so fortunate that he was available to come and help me with South Africa at that stage,” he added.

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Comments

18 Comments

Leonard 43 days ago

Known his style of rugby coaching since school. I taught at PBHS. Think Jake should invest more time with family. You cannot keep on buying players to do the job for you. Coaching Montpellier was a perfect example.

AllyOz 44 days ago

I think, at least style wise, he would suit England. Not sure about team culture etc. However, I think it is a bit early to be looking beyond Borthwick. He won 12 straight before this 6N. Give him a chance to right the ship in the July tests.

GRB13 43 days ago

What about after England lose to South Africa!

SC 44 days ago

Steve Borthwick should be canned. Losing to Italy, along with only 1 win vs Wales, has to be regarded as a fireable offence.

Given a choice between Michael Cheika (Andy Goode and Stu Barnes choice) or Jake White as head coach for an 18 month rebuild, interesting call to which would be a better choice to be England’s head coach.

My choice would be White who would emphasize set piece and kick-chase which I think suits England who lack explosive ball carriers at 10, 12, and 13 but do have good players in the air in the outside backs.

It ain’t pretty rugby, but done right, it’s winning rugby.

DP 45 days ago

Question to England supporters:

Would the appointment of Jake as a consultant feel like a good fit?

Ed the Duck 45 days ago

Too soon Jake, Sunday 5th July is the day for this pitch!

RV 44 days ago

cheers

rs 45 days ago

Unfortunately, younger coaches with less experince have failed less, since they’ve faced less tests over the years.

Perhaps we focus too much on negative moments and don’t value experience enough.

Tom 45 days ago

Sounds very much like he's putting feelers out for the RFU

BH 44 days ago

It does for sure, but i can see Steve getting the summer matches as a reprieve of sorts.

But given that we have seen this change of play style occur before after a player “revolt” then return to the same old risk averse format i am concerned all this will do is waste three /four months of time.

If SB stays then i would expect ( hope) that changes are made to his assistants specifically, Wigglesworth as our defence is now shocking, and also take a look at the role of El -Abd i am not sure what his role actually comprises now RW has taken over the defence.

Give Blackett more control over selection and attack and give McGuigan the defence strategy as he had us looking pretty solid in the summer and in the autumn.

PR 45 days ago

Agreed, although I think it will fall on deaf ears at the RFU. The promising England performance against France - and the fact that Borthwick is heavily backed by the players - means there’s unlikely to be a vacancy at Twickenham before the World Cup. After that Farrell is very much the first choice to take over.

DP 45 days ago

Yep.

PR 45 days ago

The moment Jake becomes coach the clock starts ticking towards him losing the dressing room. It’s inevitable.

Ben 44 days ago

So now I don't have to say it. And he’ll do it in record time with the ‘personalities’ (divas) in English sport (and society's toxic enablenent of it, only to tear them down again when it suits and routinely spout lack of faith in their sides’ chances generally). I’m making it sound like a hate piece, I really just mean England don't know what a culture of winning is, including what happens in team management, the media and wider society. It's a problem, I’d hate having to hope against hope every weekend.

unknown 45 days ago

Jake would lift England

Hammer Head 45 days ago

Agreed. He’d work until the World Cup. Thereafter, the wheels will fall off. His ego gets in the way.

But as a strategy to get England on track for 2027, Jake White is an excellent, short-term, gun for hire option.

England has nothing to lose by appointing him to a consulting role to support or mentor SB.

In fact, SB seems to be much better at managing the players - a weakness in Jake. They could actually compliment each other well.

Jake’s approach to the game would suit the English who I have always believed play a brand of rugby closer to South Africa than any other country in the world.

All of this until 2028 when England can appoint a proper 4 year option. Like a van Graan etc.

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