The Super Rugby side may be at a low ebb but optimism is plentiful, writes Josh Rakic.
YOU get the sense World Cup-winning Springboks coach Jake White did his homework on Australia before agreeing to a four-year deal with the Brumbies. After all, he was a Johannesburg school teacher.
Cast aside by the South African Rugby Union following the 2007 World Cup win over England, he’s waited four years to get back into the game as a head coach.
And while he makes no secret of his intentions to again scale the heights of international rugby and lead another side to World Cup victory – perhaps the Wallabies one day – the endearing father-like figure sees Australia as the perfect platform to relaunch his coaching career and develop into not just a better rugby coach but a world-class mentor.
“The one thing that I’m excited about and also played a massive role in coming to the Brumbies is it’s not just the Brumbies, it’s Australia,” says a relaxed White, leaning back in his chair after sharing a gourmet meal with his playing squad at Brumbies HQ.
“Australians have got an unbelievable work ethic in sport. When you look at their achievements in sport it is phenomenal. I just thought that this was the one country where I could develop as a coach.”
“And I thought that Super Rugby might be a good way to get back into rugby. And there’s a link between South Africa, so I can still be judged as coach within that competition.”
He’s already picked the brains of some of the country’s top coaches.
“I read Ric Charlesworth’s book and since I’ve been here I’ve had meetings with Bill Sweetenham, the swimming coach,” he says. “I’ve had meetings with Ricky Stuart. Kevin Sheedy is going to be coming to Canberra and I went down to Melbourne and met Craig Bellamy.”
And he knows new Australian cricket coach Mickey Arthur better than most. White revealed it was Arthur who helped convince him Down Under was a place to prosper.
“I don’t think he ever thought he’d be coaching Australia in cricket. And I asked him a lot about Australia before I moved here,” White says.
“And he said: ‘Jake, the one thing about this place is they share their knowledge, they’re open to ideas and players like to be coached.’ He said it was a great environment to bring out the best in yourself … I may not have international exposure but there’s a lot more opportunity for me to develop myself as a coach.”
With the NSW coast less than two hours away, White says he’s the happiest man in Canberra. And clearly, given the mass player exodus in the nation’s capital, he’s the only one happy the Brumbies ended last year’s Super Rugby season just two rungs short of last on the ladder.
There’s no Matt Giteau, no Adam Ashley-Cooper, no Rocky Elsom, Mark Chisholm, Huia Edmonds, Salesi Ma’afu or Josh Valentine. And captain Stephen Hoiles parted ways with the club just this week due to a career-threatening Achilles injury.
But as he looks around the team room scattered with unknowns and wide-eyed 20-somethings, White smiles. “Coaching goes in cycles”, he says, starting every answer with an explanation as to how he came to that conclusion. His seeming transparency – or brutal honesty, depending how you look at it – is a trait that endeared him to his subjects, past and present. Less so with the rugby hierarchy in South Africa.
“You go into our change room now and our dining room now and, with all due respect, there are no Wallabies sitting there”, he says.
“The other teams are sitting with all the Wallabies players and are at the top of their cycle, while we are at the bottom of our cycle. In a couple [of] years’ time, hopefully these boys will be at the top of theirs.”
A similarity to the Springboks of 2004, then languishing in sixth on the International Rugby Board world rankings table, attracted White to the Brumbies.
“We started at the Boks with nobody and we were sixth in the world”, he says. “The Brumbies are 13th of 15, we’ve lost about eight Wallabies. But I don’t see it as doom and gloom … I mean, six of the starting pack that I ever played in my first game as coach of South Africa played in the World Cup final.”
Ja, poephol White. Jy’t vergeet dat jy nie juis almal groentjies in die Bokspan in 2004 was nie. En dat mens net beter kan gaan met ‘n Bokspan wat 6de le na Kamp Staaldraad. En dat jy bederf was met spelers wat hulself kon kies en die beste van hul generasie was.
Why are South Africans so negative about the 2007 RWC WINNING COACH?
One would swear that his team was knocked out in the 1/4 finals. I hope that all those who are now so derogatory about him never celebrated the WC win, never had a few drinks after the game, never smiled and clapped their hands, never felt proud of his teams achievement. My word but they are a bunch of sour pusses.
JW did not endear himself to many fans, and some of his results (49-0 loss to Australia), really made us mad, but to his credit, he knew exactly what was needed to win the WC, and was prepared to stick to his plan, no matter what. Granted, a great draw and some results going his way helped, but that was the way the cookie crumbled. We all lamented or rejoiced in the fact we did not meet either NZ or Australia, but in that tournament, they were not good enough. Just as we were not good enough to beat Australia in 1/4’s this time around. Even the Brycie factor should not have caused us to lose. (80% possesion and territory). But, JW will go down history as the man who took a SA team that was at an all time low, and in 4 years transormed it into a WC winning team. Both GH and Sir Clive took 8 years to achieve the same. Even Robbie Deans could not do that with Aus.
2 @ Loosehead:
I think the main reason Jake White gets a lot of people’s goat, is that he has the habit of shooting his mouth off at the most inoppertune times and that he therefore comes accross as arrogant and wise-ass to the extreme.
I’ll forever be grateful for the fact that the Bokke won the Rugby World Cup under his tenure, but I don’t like the man.
@ Lion4ever:
3
“JW did not endear himself to many fans, and some of his results (49-0 loss to Australia), really made us mad, but to his credit, he knew exactly what was needed to win the WC, and was prepared to stick to his plan, no matter what.(dont agree he brought in help Eddie) Granted, a great draw and some results going his way helped( you mentioned it so what can i add), but that was the way the cookie crumbled. We all lamented or rejoiced in the fact we did not meet either NZ or Australia, but in that tournament, they were not good enough( sorry but all i can say is BULLSHIT, ). Just as we were not good enough(BULLSHIT x4, we did the right things, in a great test match up like we had the influence of Bryce tilted this game) to beat Australia in 1/4′s this time around. Even the Brycie factor should not have caused us to lose. (80% possesion and territory). But, JW will go down history as the man who took a SA team that was at an all time low(eish i dont want to agree), and in 4 years transormed it into a WC winning team. Both GH and Sir Clive took 8 years to achieve the same. Even Robbie Deans could not do that with Aus.
grootblousmile wrote:
the example Peter followed?
6 @ superBul:
If Peter deliberately followed that example, then it does not say much about Peter’s intelligence, does it!
Selfs ‘n dowe ou met uiters swak sig sou weet Jake het halfte van die tyd met beide sy voete in sy bek rondgeloop as gevolg van swak media uitsprake…
Jake only started playing the Media better in 2007… and suddenly things were on track with the Bokke.
In fact a clever guy would have learnt from Jake’s mistakes, and not repeated and exaggerated them.
It really baffles me that you have this unhealthy admiration and overpowering fascination for the Snormonster. You use EVERY opportunity you possibly can to try and place the clown in a better light, specially in reaction to anything I said or say. Nobody ever is going to change my opinion about him, simple as that!
It’s not only Peter as a Bokke coach that I think was not up to standard, before him Streauli & Viljoen was also a disgrace, Tricky Dicky is way past that, he is simply kak. Jake White had his bad side too…
… but that is not the issue, the issue is that we in South Africa deserve better than Jake, Streauli, Viljoen, Tricky Dicky… and definately also Snor!
Matfield is right in his book (if your quotes are not taken totally out of context, I must add) Heyneke Meyer and Frans Ludeke (and a few others) are excellent motivators… I’d rather use the term “Man-managers”… they are charismatic coaches who manage players well and who make them believe in the coach and each other.
The great leaders in the history of the world, not only in sport or rugby for that matter (be they good or bad) were all these kind of charismatic motivators and / or man-managers, with the ability to surround themselves with strong support staff… and then to delegate duties well to them.
In the Bokke context, I’d be happy with such a charismatic coach, a supreme motivator who appoints great assistants and support staff…. and who manages to make the staff, team and players individually believe in him and in each other. The assistants and support staff should be the technical coaches in any case, why else the need to appoint them.
I will always be greatful to this character for travelling to Wales to try to convince Percy Montgomery to leave Newport and to return to The Bok camp.
You should all remember this too, Percy did win the RWC for you after all!! lol
10 pm for you in Saffa Land..bit late for Rugby Talkers!!
@ grootblousmile:
With the political crap that he had to put up with, no other coach would have done the job.
Like him or not, he brought us the WC. What would be nice if people respected that and rather shut up if they have nothing to say.
Same goes for John Smit.
@ superBul:
Super, JW bringing in of Eddie Jones was the result of Rassie taking the Stormers job. Brilliant move by a coach who realised he needed someone to assist him to move the team to the next level.
You also say that NZ and Aus were good enough in 2007? How come they lost their very important games? In NZ’s case we could argue that forward pass, but the fact is that they allowed France back into the game, and cracked under the pressure of great expectation. In my book that makes them not good enough. Same with Aus, who just could not crack an English team that came into the comp in turmoil, but pulled it together after that 33-0 thrashing. And who could forget the fantastic Argies beating the French twice?
And this last time around, surely SA should have played to Brycie’s whistle? We tried a a different game plan, and we could not crack their defence. We had the lions share of possesion and territory. If NZ had that possesion and territory they would have destroyed Aus. We simply were not good enough.
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