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Jake White: 'Leinster will always be there'
Jake White has been coaching for some 30 years now and has already won the biggest prize in the game, but there is no sign of his enthusiasm waning.
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“Someone asked me just the other day, ‘How long are you going to do this for?’” reveals the 60-year-old Vodacom Bulls boss.
“I said ‘As long as I keep loving it’.
“I am very fortunate. I coach rugby in a country where it’s the national sport and I am coaching a team that people enjoy and a team that’s on the up. I don’t think it gets too much better than that. So I still love it.”
White’s long coaching career has taken in spells in Australia (Brumbies), France (Montpellier), Japan (Toyota Verblitz) and Tonga, where he worked with the national team.
Then, of course, there has been his contribution to rugby in his homeland of South Africa, most notably as head coach of the Springboks, who he guided to World Cup glory in 2007.
Since 2020, he has been at the helm of the Pretoria-based Bulls and building a team that now really looks ready to vie for silverware.
They lie second in the BKT URC and have secured a home tie against French club Lyon in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup.
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But now comes arguably their toughest test of the season so far – a league trip to table-topping Leinster this Friday night.
“That will be a great benchmark for us to see where we are as a group,” said White.
“It is an away game playing against a really good team.
“The bulk of those guys play international rugby for Ireland and they have just won back-to-back Six Nations. At the World Cup, they beat the Springboks who went on to win it.
“So I know it’s going to be a great test match for us and a great test to see how good we are.”
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He added: “Leinster will always be there. The core group of that squad know exactly how to get through this competition.
“One thing they are probably leaders at is understanding how to compete in both the BKT URC and the Champions Cup.
“They are the ones that set the benchmark in the league and if you can beat them you have got yourself a chance to win the competition.”
This is now the third season for White and the Bulls in the 16-team BKT URC, so what has he learned about the competition along the way?
“You’ve got the weather, the playing surfaces, the grounds,” he says.
“We are sometimes spoiled back home. We play in big enclosed stadiums where the wind isn’t a factor.
“Whereas when you come into this competition, you visit some very unique grounds.
“What players and coaches are learning is that it’s a different challenge every week. It’s a different outing at all the teams you go to.
“Also because it’s such a long competition and because you play home and away, it becomes very difficult.
“This time last year I was probably at fault by keeping the same base of players together for all the games and it caught up with me at the back end of the competition.
“The one thing that has been very different this season is I have been able to rotate players and that just gives me more competitiveness in the squad. So I am happy with where we are at the moment.”
The bumper attendances for BKT URC games in South Africa this season would suggest the league is really gaining in popularity there and White feels this is partly down to people being more aware of the competition structure.
“What has happened now is they understand it,” he said.
“You would get people saying how come there’s a Champions Cup game in two weeks time, how does that fit in?
“But when you explain the reason we are in the Champions Cup is we did well in the BKT URC last year, they understand what the merits of the league are.
“They now realise as soon as you have a bad BKT URC, you drop out of the Champions Cup.
“So slowly, but surely they are understanding the importance of BKT URC games.”
The Bulls warmed up for their top-of-the-table clash against Leinster in Dublin with a 31-10 bonus point victory over the Dragons at Rodney Parade last Saturday night.
It looks a comfortable scoreline, but White stresses it was anything but a stroll in the park.
“They really fronted up to us physically. They were clever in the way they played and made everything a contest,” he said.
“They obviously had a plan on how they could break our rhythm.
Head-to-Head
Last 4 Meetings
Wins
2
Draws
0
Wins
2
Average Points scored
28
27
First try wins
75%
Home team wins
75%
“We tried to get quick ball, we couldn’t. We tried to maul them, we couldn’t get any go-forward. They disrupted the scrum as well.
“We encountered problems we haven’t experienced before.
“It was the first time a team did certain things to us at scrum time and breakdown time.
“But the bottom line is we found a way to get through. It was job done in the end. We wanted to go there and get a win and then to get a bonus point as well was a plus – I suppose that’s why it’s called a bonus.
“I do feel we took too long to find a way – the whole first half and a bit of the second half – so hopefully this is a learning curve. We have to adapt a bit quicker.
“But it just shows there are a lot of hard games in this league.
“Who would have thought the Sharks would be as low down as they are now, with the squad they have?
“It’s such a competitive league and it is just going to get stronger and stronger.”
Comments on RugbyPass
“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
5 Go to comments