Jake White

The sudden departure of Jake White as Sharks director of rugby has led to informed sources confirming there was growing discord between White and his back-room staff as well as with the players.

While White may not technically have been “fired” by the board of the Sharks, it is believed he was no longer heading a harmonious environment.

It is understood that Gary Gold, the former Springbok assistant coach under Peter de Villiers, could be the front runner to replace White as the Super Rugby coach, while former All Blacks coach John Mitchell could also be in the running.

The Mercury

White’s allegedly dictatorial coaching style won him few friends in the Shark Tank and it has been agreed that he will step down after just one year in the job. He has already returned to his home in Cape Town.

White took the Sharks to the Super Rugby semi-finals but stepped back from the head coaching role in the Currie Cup, where his Super Rugby assistants, Brad Macleod-Henderson, Sean Everitt and Paul Anthony, have been running the show, while White has taken on a mentoring role with the Sharks’ age-group teams.

The aforementioned trio are still learning the trade at the highest level and it is understood that in next year’s Super Rugby competition they will once again be assistants under a new head coach.

Sharks chief executive John Smit will be determined to get it right this time and appoint a coach who will take the Sharks into a new era in which they will play a brand of rugby that will win matches and also put bums on seats at Kings Park.

Under White, the Sharks won 11 of 16 pool matches and won a quarter-final against the Highlanders before being thumped in the semi-final by the Crusaders, but while White got results, the conservative style of play was not popular with many fans.

In just over a year Sharks players have been subjected to four different styles of play from four different coaches – John Plumtree, Brendan Venter, White and Macleod-Henderson – with a fifth believed to be on the way, presumably for the 2015 Super Rugby campaign.

Smit has high regard for Venter, who coached him at Saracens a few years back. But while Venter agreed to help Smit out last year after Plumtree’s sacking, it was always an interim measure. Venter promptly won the Currie Cup and was hugely popular among players with his innovative game plans.

However, Venter said after the Currie Cup win at Newlands the time had come to turn his focus to his medical practice in Cape Town and he was not available to return to Kings Park.

Gold is a highly experienced coach, renowned for the enterprising play of the teams he has headed, including leading English club Bath. He is now finishing up a coaching stint in Japan and is known to be interested in returning to South Africa to coach a Super Rugby franchise.

Gold was Smit’s forwards coach at the Springboks from 2008 to 2011.

Interestingly, former Sharks captain and legendary Springbok lock Mark Andrews reckons the Sharks should look no further than Mitchell.

“I think he would be the ideal man for the job,” Andrews said. “He has a great rugby brain, has coached all over the world and now calls Durban his home. He is on our doorstep and has shown he still loves coaching by getting involved in local varsity rugby earlier this year.”

Andrews says the attractive and effective rugby being played by the Lions in the Currie Cup is the legacy of Mitchell, who taught Lions coach Johan Ackermann the ropes when he was Mitchell’s assistant at Ellis Park.

White said that although he was leaving Durban sooner than anticipated, he was satisfied that his short-term goals had been achieved, chiefly finishing in the top four of Super Rugby, putting coaching structures in place and aiding coaches’ development.

“I was offered an exciting challenge in a great rugby city,” said White. “I believe we put together some excellent structures under new chief executive John Smit, who was always supportive. I’m closing this chapter in my life as I believe it is the right time to do so. I want to thank and acknowledge the Sharks for my time spent with the team.”

Smit, in turn, thanked White for his efforts.

“Jake and I have known each other a long time and were very frank in our discussions regarding this Sharks opportunity back in 2013. Jake was excited to implement change as well as be involved with South Africa’s most talented squad, but from the outset stated his ambition to be on the international stage again and I was all too happy to have him for however long we could. What he has achieved for us in such a short time is incredible and our staff and players have learnt a huge amount.”

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Maties job on White’s radar?

A top rugby job at Stellenbosch University could well be Jake White’s next destination.

According to Die Burger, there is a vacant Head of Rugby position at Maties and White could be the ideal candidate to fill the role.

White shocked the rugby fraternity on Monday when he quit his role as Director of Rugby at the Sharks.

He now has the opportunity to move back to Cape Town, which will bring him closer to his family after a number of years away.

Freddie Ferreira, president of the Maties Rugby Club, confirmed that a new Head of Rugby position is set to be advertised by the university.

Sport24

While Ferreira said he’s had no talks with White regarding the role, Die Burger has heard strong rumours linking White with the position.

“It will be a transparent process to fill the role and interviews will be conducted with all possible candidates,” said Ferreira, himself a former Maties and WP scrumhalf.

Ferreira said they advertised the role last year but were unable to find a suitable candidate.

Ferreira said Maties want to become more professional and, like other universities, offer full bursaries to cover student fees and accommodation.

White, a former Springbok coach, left the Sharks after just one season in charge, having led the team to the semi-finals of the Super Rugby competition earlier this year before taking a more advisory role during the Currie Cup campaign, with Brad MacLeod-Henderson taking over the first team coaching duties.

White was also tasked to up skill the young coaches as well as tidy up all rugby structures across the board from the Sharks Academy all the way to the senior team.

“I was offered an exciting challenge in a great rugby city,” White told the Sharks website. “I believe we put together some excellent structures under new chief executive John Smit, who was always supportive. I’m closing this chapter in my life as I believe it is the right time to do so. I want to thank and acknowledge the Sharks for my time spent with the team.”

The Sharks said via a statement that “the time is right for Jake to free himself up for any international coaching and consulting opportunities ahead of the tournament in England.”

However, rumours have also surfaced that there had been clashes between White and Sharks management as well as the players.

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SuperRugby: Jake and Sharks part ways

The Sharks’ director of rugby, Jake White, will step down from his role after just one season in charge of the Durban-based franchise.

In his first season at the helm of the Sharks he achieved immediate results, winning the local conference and eventually ending third in 2014’s Super Rugby tournament.

White was also tasked to up-skill the young coaches as well as tidy up all rugby structures across the board from the Sharks Academy all the way to their senior team.

Planet Rugby

Initially it was thought this would take some time. However being allowed to concentrate on these tasks during the Currie Cup has fast tracked the process and the Sharks’ Super Rugby squad is in place and their pre-season plan ready to go.

According to the a report on the Sharks’ official website, the mentoring role White has played to the franchise’s coaches has been invaluable and the time is right for the former Springbok coach to free himself up for any international coaching and consulting opportunities.

The 2015 RWC is just months away. White will also have the opportunity to move back to his home city of Cape Town, which will bring him closer to his family after a number of years away.

With this in mind White will be free to come back and continue the monitoring of his systems and where appropriate consult to the Sharks.

The Sharks’ CEO, John Smit said: “Jake and I have known each other a long time and were very frank in our discussions regarding this Sharks opportunity back in 2013.

“Jake was excited to implement change as well as be involved with South Africa’s most talented squad but from the outset stated his ambition to be on the international stage again and I was all too happy to have him for however long we could.

“What he has achieved for us in such a short time is incredible and our staff and players have learned a huge amount.”

White said that although he was leaving Durban sooner than anticipated, he was satisfied that his short-term goals had been achieved, chiefly finishing in the top four of Super Rugby, putting coaching structures in place and aiding coaches development.

“I was offered an exciting challenge in a great rugby city,” he said.

“I believe we put together some excellent structures under new chief executive John Smit, who was always supportive.

“I’m closing this chapter in my life as I believe it is the right time to do so. I want to thank and acknowledge The Sharks for my time spent with the team.”