Former coach Jake White expresses his interest in Springboks head coach role – Rugby news
Springboks’ 2007 Rugby World Cup (RWC) winning team’s head coach, Jake White, has expressed his interest for the same role, following the separation of Peter de Villiers from the national side. White expressed his interest in an interview to Cape Argus on
Monday, October 10.
White left charge of the Springboks following their successful 2007 RWC campaign. He returned to coaching duties, after signing on as manager for the Australian Super Rugby Franchise, ACT Brumbies.
White has expressed his shock at the Springboks defeat in the quarter-finals of the 2011 RWC as Wallabies defeated the South Africans 11 – 9. He added that even more worrisome is the fact that the Springboks most experienced unit is knocked out of the tournament
by a relatively young Wallabies outfit.
White confirmed that the Springboks’ Saturday defeat has motivated him to apply for the position of the national side’s coach to do much required team building. He said, “Being at the World Cup and experiencing the tournament has re-ignited my desire to
get back into international rugby.”
White earlier took charge of the Springboks unit after 2003 RWC and helped the team win different competitions including the Tri Nations and RWC tournament.
White has strongly criticised De Villiers for not planning for the future. He said, “Don Bradman always said that a coach should leave a team in a better condition than he found it in, but I don't feel that Peter de Villiers has focused on long-term planning
and development.”
White added that following the departure of players like John Smit, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, and Fourie du Preez from the national side, any newly appointed coach will have to start team building from scratch.
White’s tenure as the Springboks coach saw the team climb the world rankings and be crowned world champions. He helped develop several of the current Springboks talented players, which have helped the county to remain in the top three of the world rankings
for several years.
White termed himself as the most suitable person for the job in the prevailing circumstances and cited this as the reason to open himself for re-appointment.
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