Major coup afoot as Jake White linked with URC return

Former Springbok boss Jake White is on a three-man short list to become the next head coach of the ambitious United Rugby Championship outfit Benetton Treviso.

Treviso want an international standard coach to take over from Calum MacRae, who, it has been announced, is leaving at the end of the season to join Dan McFarland’s coaching ticket at Newcastle Red Bulls.

White, 62, who spent four years in the Springbok hot seat between 2004 and 2007, is looking to get back into the club game after parting company with Treviso’s URC rivals the Bulls last July following an end-of-season review.

And he would be a huge coup for the 15-time Italian champions Treviso, who won the Pro14 Rainbow Cup five years ago after ironically beating White’s Bulls 35-8 in the final at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo.

White took the Springboks from sixth in the IRB World Rankings in 2003 to first in 2007 after beating England to win the Rugby World Cup in France, and turned the Bulls from a mid-table team into contenders in the URC table.

RugbyPass understands that White, who has also coached the Brumbies in Australia, Montpellier in France and Toyota Verblitz in Japan, has been interviewed by the Italian outfit.

They have also spoken to former England interim boss Richard Cockerill, who has been out of the game since he was dismissed by the Georgian Rugby Union from the national team and Black Lions in December.

The Leicester Tigers legend was also linked with a move to Brive in France, but Grégory Patat, who was recently sacked by Bayonne, looks to be on his way to the big-spending Pro D2 side next season.

Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl, 47, who spent eight years in Treviso’s second row, winning eight caps for Italy, has also been interviewed, but it would be a massive gamble by Treviso to appoint him.

Even though he spent two years on their coaching staff before moving to the Welsh capital in February 2024, he is inexperienced at the top level, having only been handed control of Cardiff earlier this season.