RFU job grabs the spotlight
26 Jun 2006
Jake White is set to fly to London this week to finalise details of a possible five year contract as RFU Director of Rugby.
Some sources suggest White left on Monday evening; hence the delay of the Springbok squad announcement. Should White not be the Bok coach for the Vodacom Tri Nations then it would serve no purpose to actually have him select the team on Monday, a date that was already a postponement from the original Saturday night.
White is not on the official shortlist, but it is believed that this means little as he has been promised the job if he wants it.
SARU has not acted with haste, with Board members aware he was not on the shortlist. But these Board members seemed unaware that White’s omission from the shortlist was at the behest of the Bok coach, who had asked not to be linked to the job while he attempted to sort out his future with the South African Rugby Union.
It is no secret that there has been interest in White to coach the Lions to South Africa in 2009, but the Bok coach has previously deflected that kind of talk.
Whatever the nuts and bolts of the RFU connection, it is not a bluff. Keo.co.za has seen correspondence that links White to England, in some or other capacity.
And White’s healthy relationship with Sir Clive Woodward should not be discounted.
The Daily Mail’s Peter Jackson, one in the know when it comes to the politics of England rugby, reported that Woodward was the favourite to get the job and if he did he would also get the coaching team he wanted for the England senior side.
Jackson wrote that the RFU Director of Rugby would also be empowered to select the national squad.
According to the Daily Mail, the RFU have produced a 14-page job description, a final draft of which has been seen by Jackson. It will provide the basis for an independent head-hunting agency’s global search and spells out the RFU’s refusal to tolerate poor Test results, currently the worst for more than 20 years.
It says: “In order to meet the demanding strategic objectives of the RFU, results must improve and the objective, to be the world leaders through excellence in every aspect of the elite game, must be met.”
It also stresses the need to find a political solution to the vexed club-against-country row.
The RFU wants to make the appointment in the next two months and the paper lists Woodward, Nick Mallett, Eddie Jones and former Wasps and Ireland coach Warren Gatland as the shortlisted candidates.
Mallett confirmed to Keo.co.za that he had been approached, but that he had given no indication of a commitment, other than to listen to meet with the consultant who interviewed White and Jones among others.
189 Comments
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26 Jun 2006, 23:48 pm
Is that right big boy!?
“and incase you didnt know Germany is has progressed to the quater finals”
When did I (as you say I did) refer to that *** sport???
Just cause you like it big boy, dont get the rugby fans mixed up with it!
Germany needs you plank!
26 Jun 2006, 23:55 pm
grassie, It’s been a long time since we played constructively, we get so few tries that have actually been worked. Generally they come off the other teams mistakes. That’s all fine and dandy untill the other team does’nt make mistakes.
27 Jun 2006, 00:00 am
Bluecap, the only innovation is the mauling try taken straight out of the Blue Bull textbook, but that ingenuity lasted 2 games. Perhaps we should go back to the basics of keeping ball in hand, straighten the line, pull 2 defenders in by running the gaps, and create a channel for a team mate to cut through.
27 Jun 2006, 00:11 am
Rassie, Rassie, Rassie!! And I’m a Bulls supporter.
27 Jun 2006, 01:36 am
Bluecap,
You’re probably right. The only things is, unless Saru saw this coming and have lined up an exceptional coach, I can’t see how letting White go will improve our chances at the world cup. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done. We never always hear the full story, but it appears that Saru have been caught napping by the Poms, which is even more unforgivable.
27 Jun 2006, 01:57 am
JW survived change of regim at SARFU while lobbing for B.v.Rooyan, possibly the reason why he challanges his employers now, because he feels indispensible. It’s not a standard practice usually unless you got your safety card.
I strongly believe that JW own assessment is that the Boks will do poorly this year with the injuries and transformation ever increasing pressure, so he is bailing out in time on a pretex of a ‘job security after the WRC 07, while in the other scenario he will get an ‘Interference Free charter from the SARFU.
27 Jun 2006, 03:53 am
i thought jake has t ostay he is contracted till 2007 he cant leave
27 Jun 2006, 03:56 am
i saw its the anc who wants jake gone cause of the transformation
27 Jun 2006, 03:59 am
howcome when i sign on with website i have 2 do it like 7 times before it accepts my password
27 Jun 2006, 04:39 am
If I was Jake I would go.
At the end of the day it is a job that he is doing and if the employers are changing the goal posts daily and feeling threatened all the time who wouldnt leave.
This last bit of news puts the past weekends defeat in perspective. South Africans (politics)do not see the big picture they just want the results for today.
This is going to be the demise of SA rugby.
If he goes I think there will be angry supporters who wont support national rugby anymore because there is no another sport to watch in SA.
27 Jun 2006, 04:49 am
If one put into perspective Jake’s reluctance in not handing out Springbok caps it really comes as no surprise.
He is merely following in the footsteps of Sir Clive Woodward, who under his guidance allowed the English team to play together as a unit over a long period of time. During this time they jelled together knowing exactly each other’s play. It therefore came as no surprise when England won the World Cup in ’03.
Jake White’s principle of sticking to certain players is therefore really not new. In fact it is a tried and tested principle that can lead to success.
The problem for Jake however was, that in today’s era, a lot of rugby is played that can lead to injuries. Furthermore certain players that were expected to grow with the game in terms of uplifting their skills levels failed to do so. This meant that they played with the same deficiencies. Of course when a player/s plays poorly and this have a detrimental effect on the end result the coach will pen-ultimately get the blame for it.
Jake must be said have a great belief in his players. His loyalty for them is undeniable. Unfortunately many of those in which he had put his trust failed to deliver the goods. Now there is a public outcry as to why Jake is selecting the same players again and again, whilst young and vibrant players are available for selection.
Being a Springbok coach is really a tough ask, let alone a tough job. Jake needs SA to stand behind him, not only in the good times but also in the bad times as well. Unfortunately SA is a rugby mad country. Weekend after weekend we expect the Boks to win. If not we will either blame a player/s, the coach, or whomever we choose.
Criticism it seems is something Jake is very sensitive about. Can it be that Jake sees criticism as reflecting badly on his coaching style and therefore he feels compelled to defend himself in public?
It must be said that when Jake “inherited†the Bok team it was in shambles. In a short period i.e. in less than three years he was responsible for the Boks turning things around. People started to look up to SA rugby again. NZ commentators aplenty started to talk about the traditional rivalry between these two teams. This in itself is reminiscent of the GREAT work Jake did for SA rugby.
I firmly believe that Jake gave it his all for SA rugby. However with this type of success, also came sacrifices. Surely his family was the ones who had to make the most sacrifices. I think Jake might be feeling that enough is enough.
I want to conclude by saying that irrespective if Jake stays on as the Bok coach or leave for England, that he served his country well. And even should he leave, then those taking over the reins will be “inheriting†a team that knows success, which can beat any team on a given day.
Well done Jake !!!
27 Jun 2006, 05:13 am
Money hungry *******.
27 Jun 2006, 05:20 am
Coach of SA or NZ must be the World’s 2 most thankless jobs I reckon;
If your team wins everyone says
“yeah, that’s only what we expect, no big deal…but you should’ve picked B instead of A”
As soon as you drop a game (remember ‘game’ not national disaster) several million people who don’t even know you suddenly hate your guts and spit on you in the street!!
27 Jun 2006, 05:36 am
I wonder where xsaffa and his possy of Jake White merry men are?
27 Jun 2006, 07:50 am
Money talks , bullshit walks!!
It’s the farking politics. They must rather concentrate on bafana bafana and leave the rugby to the big boys that can do something. You are all forgetting where we were before JW took over. Fark this politics cause it’s making SA a **** place to stay in.
27 Jun 2006, 08:08 am
I believe the comments shared in this blog regarding “political intervention” in selection, is the ONE factor that might have caused JW to look elsewhere. He cant do his job & his reputation any good when he cannot pick the best available side.
He spins us a load of hogwash about this player and that player, but in essens he is trying to justify wrong selections.
MEYER & De Villiers, a good combination as long as they get rid of COETZEE & SMAL, these two have much to anwer for with their total lack of application. **** Muir has taken “litle known youngsters” from nothing into the S14 and they have rsponded because they are coached correctly. We are continually fed a bull*&^&^^% story that the
27 Jun 2006, 08:13 am
SORRY , continuation — the BOKS were inexperienced, yet the day before there is boasting about the number of test caps etc. — the story changes according to the results & we are supposed to buy into this.
I wonder if there is more pressure coming in teh form of ” quotas” for the WC & JW is getting out now. Fortunately, the U21 have a few very good players of colour & even MXOLI, shows great courage and tanacity at tighthead, Lobberts, BIG & strong, Chilii boy, a great hooker & the captain, exit JS. — EISH. But JW departure maybe a blessing in disguise for SA RUGBY.
What about **** MUIR — now there is a coach.
27 Jun 2006, 08:18 am
JW is a smart man .. he took a look at the schedule for 2006 … a look at his injuries and what he actually has in his golden boys (JS, Jaco, Snyman, De Wet, Marius ext), they are just not up to scratch. Suddenly he realized he made a big mistake by not building some depth while he had a chance, that his game plan of rush defense has been found out and that he has no plan B, and saw that 2006/2007 is going to be a disastrous year that is going to tarnish his bok record and therefore his Rands/Pounds worth as a couch.
We thank JW for bringing some pride back to the boks, but he is the architect of his own demise with his shortsighted selections and obsession with size, strength and caps. I personally think that JW has bought the boks as far as he can, he has reached the ceiling. He was a good enough coach to take us to No2, and restore some pride, but alas no further.
He is getting out while his record is still good.
27 Jun 2006, 08:23 am
who will take us to the tri nations if Jake leaves…any possibilities. (De Villiers, Mallet, Solomons?) any ideas guys?
27 Jun 2006, 08:27 am
Well said CFB (19).
27 Jun 2006, 08:34 am
Pieter De Villers has a very good relationship with the U-21 players, and is good at motivating them. Heynecke doesn’t want to be the assistant coach, so he’ll be selecting the match 22.
Jake White failed and fails because the players he puts his faith in don’t work on their individual weaknesses.
Dan Carter (1.78m) is just as “small” as Breyten Paulse, not much taller than Brent Russell, yet Jake still babbles about height and size.
27 Jun 2006, 08:39 am
Did anyone forget the English player mutiny against the Saffa coach Solomons?
Oil & Water do not mix.
Similarly Saffas & Poms.
27 Jun 2006, 09:06 am
Jake
4 years on mud island will make you a bitter old man …
who shivers constantly and longs for the sun …
you could even get scurvy and drink gin and become depressed …
dont do it man
you’ll be happier here despite the bull from SARU
and you can cash in later to go coach Argentina when they get admitted to to 3N.
Come on Bru !
27 Jun 2006, 09:06 am
Haymaker, I was thinking the same last knight, If Jake thinks he’s got it hard here wait till till he finds out how the Poms won’t respond.
I can also bet there’s a lot of very, very good players in this country that are really hoping Jake doesn’t come back. The likes of Britz, Watson, Ndungani brothers, Barrit, Welsh, to name but a few.
27 Jun 2006, 09:07 am
Lol, even Fat Ollie.
27 Jun 2006, 09:15 am
SARU is setting JW up for a fall. It’s the classic we won’t stand in your way. they’re painting him as a money grabbing traitor (in a very subtle way) and public opinion looks like it is swinging against him.
JW is an astute man but he best remember that it ain’t all roses in Mother England – just ask Alan Zondag…
As to lamenting SARU – don’t forget that JW was just a lowly paid school teacher before SARU gave him a break, now he (alledgedly) wants to jumps ship.
LASTLY: i personally think we’ve always had the players to compete with the best in the world, it was just that Strauli F*cked our guys up so badly that we dropped to # 6 in the world, so is JW really so great? all he did was take sublime players and turned them in to a team. Our gameplan is still up to **** and all we have is a brittle rush defense. gawd we neve score tries from set pieces!!!! IMAGINE what the Aussies or AB’s would do if they had our great players..
27 Jun 2006, 09:20 am
IF Jake leaves, hopefully SARU will have the balls and brains to sign Nick Mallett until the end of the RWC.
27 Jun 2006, 09:20 am
Bluecap
Jake has just severed his bungy cord.
He is now in purgatory.
No deal from the RFU only short list and after dissing SA Rugby and the Bok fans means that it is only a matter of time.
If there was a decsion maker at SA Rugby you would have had this cleaned up by now.
It is either On or Off. Instead this will linger till the 3 July Presidents Council meeting in Jhb then a committee will be formed or empowered to negotiate with JW and then documents will be exchanged and then approval will be made to do a deal………ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
27 Jun 2006, 09:25 am
TONY – mallet can’t be coach as he has signed a restraint of trade with the french
27 Jun 2006, 09:29 am
Bring back Mac! He wiped the **** out of Jakes eyes last year when we saw De Wet and Joubert get replaced by De villiers and Fourie and Pretorius take over from Jaco.
Nobody is irreplaceable and until Jake proves himself in the WC, he shouldn’t be ranting and raving aboout 2009.
1 away win against a top 5 country in two years!!!
27 Jun 2006, 10:09 am
Brains trust…
As I understand it, nothing was signed but was a gentleman’s agreement.
Besides I am sure the French would have no problem if they were paid in damages. In other words if there was one year still to go in his contract that he would’ve had with the French, the French are paid back one year of his salary that they would’ve paid him.
27 Jun 2006, 10:49 am
JW’s world is unravelling, his pets have been exposed as has-beens and very ordinary players. Now he wants to jump before the areoplane he has been piloting crashes.
He just got lucky in 2004, catching the AB’s in a rebuilding phase.
He can go, he won’t be missed. It’s a smart move but disaster awaits him in England.
Who can replace him? It doesn’t matter our tactics are so outmoded. Just leave **** Muir alone!
27 Jun 2006, 11:43 am
I for one would be sad to see JW take the England job, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth and smacks of disloyalty. Playing for or coaching your country should be an honour no matter what the politics behind the scenes are – doing so for another country is tantamount to treason.
Please don’t let Heynecke Meyer be the next Bok coach!!!
27 Jun 2006, 11:58 am
If SARU don’t sign Jake till 2009 and Jake leaves I’ll stop supporting the Springboks, genuine. I’ll buy a Western Force jersey and they be my new National team
27 Jun 2006, 12:40 pm
Braithwaite
If you owned a business, would you employ someone in a purely performance based position and contract him for years in advance. I wouldn’t. Being secured until after the WC, the biggest milestone in the position, should be enough. We should be concerned that he wants to be secured now, lacking confidence maybe?
27 Jun 2006, 13:23 pm
Well done boneheads, you have succeded in chasing away our most succesful coach ever! White is better than Mallet and Christie put together, he made the Boks competitive over consecutive seasons. If White goes i wish him all the best, he made me a beliver again in the green and gold
27 Jun 2006, 15:40 pm
Kapie
I agree. But do you not think that Super 14 players should be given the rest and rotated etc etc? People pay alot of money on Test Match Tickets and they therefore want to watch the best 22 players in the country. The S14 is for entertainment as much as it is a rugby tournament, international rugby is much more than that. How can we expect Jake to “rest” our top players against touring teams like Scotland when he has test matchs to win. Jean de Villiers and Jacques Fourie (one of the better centre combos in world rugby at the moment) don’t play together at provincial level and therfore need a few games to gel. The same applies to every other player. Do the rest of you not get irritated whilst watching currie cup rugby when Hugh Bladen and the boys keep repeating “former Springbok” such and such? I do! This is largely thanks to idiots like Straule, Viljoen and co who handed out Springbok caps to every **** tom and harry. Jake has made the Springbok cap a sacred thing again and while he has had some obvious omissions, we don’t all attend training sessions, have access to his statistics etc etc. If the English Rugby Union want him then he must surely be doing something right?
Lets all get behind Jake White.
27 Jun 2006, 16:25 pm
JW is amazing, why did he wait until the team is about to depart on a TRI NATIONS tour to make his statement about the UK JOB & with the WC JUST AROUND THE CORNER.Wonderful timing, which will come back to bite him.
Perhaps JW is trying to get the “brainstrust” to give him more leeway in his selection, wnd with it he may pick up a loss or 2 or 3? — hence his demand for a longer contract. Who knows, but one thing is for sure the way he is picking them, this side is going nowhere & Coetzee MUST GET OFF HIS HIGH horse and realise that he is NOT a 3/4 coach & will never be. He & Smal MUST go now, not later.
27 Jun 2006, 22:19 pm
SharksFan
I’m 100% with you.
We need fresh and not fatique players for the international matches.
The S14 tournament can be used to blood new talent.
Gametime for the Springboks in the S14 tournament to be kept to a minimum.
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