Jake White responds to Cheetahs rumours

Death, taxes and Jake White being linked with a vacant coaching position.

White, who is currently coaching the Toyota Verblitz side in the Japanese Top League, was linked with the soon-to-be vacant head coach position at the Cheetahs by Rapport over the weekend, fuelling speculation that he could soon be returning to South Africa, somewhere he has not coached in since 2014, when he resigned as the director of rugby at the Sharks.

Current Cheetahs head coach Franco Smith was recently confirmed as heading to Italy to take up the same role with the Azzurri after the upcoming Rugby World Cup, leaving the Bloemfontein-based side in search of a new captain to steer the ship for the 2019/20 Guinness PRO14 season.

White, 55, has dismissed that report, though, stating to Rugby365 he is not interested in the role at the Cheetahs.

“I chatted to Franco [Smith] about something else. I will not be applying for the Cheetahs role.”

White has never been shy to throw his hat into the mix for vacant roles in a coaching career that has spanned three decades and seen him work on four different continents. After finishing up with the Springboks after their successful 2007 Rugby World Cup, White headed to the IRB as a technical consultant, before stints with the Brumbies, Sharks, Tonga and Montpellier, and he has been persistently linked with the Wallabies, England, France and other international jobs during that period.

With Steve Hansen set to arrive at Toyota Verblitz later this year and reportedly bringing current Waratahs coach Simon Cron with him, it does look as though White’s time in Toyota is coming to an end, with his contract also due to expire later this year.

If White is looking for his next stint, the PRO14 could still be a viable destination, with the Southern Kings reportedly set to move on from current head coach Deon Davids and Munster preparing for a large overhaul in their coaching staff, although how he would fit in alongside current director of rugby Johann van Graan could be a sticking point for the Irish province.

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